White Void
by Rosso Angelo
Summary: His world is void. A meaningless void. And yet, he yearns for something more. Something that can't be simply obtained in the dullness and monotony that plague his life. In order to achieve that something, the "meaning" of his existence, he's willing to pay any cost possible. [Under correction.]
1. Hollow

**Hello, my good fellows. I'm Rosso Angelo.**

**So, I actually wrote and posted this story before, a long time ago, but when I thought it wasn't possible to keep writing it, I just stopped and erased it. Sorry about that, for all of those who were expecting me to update.**

**But now I'm back, and with a brand new version! I hope y'all like this.**

**Clarification: yes, the main protagonist of this story is an OC. No, he's not an overpowered God or something. And no, there's NO harem.**

**I do not own High School DxD, but I own this story.**

* * *

**Prologue – Hollow**

* * *

Pure darkness engulfed the world, devouring everything and all. It was black, dark, undiscernable. Golden veins pulsated through its vastness, flickering in and out of existence as it ate the light. It was eating him whole too, creeping up his body and leaving him sick and bewitched in the belly of the beast. In that empty, hollow place, he lost perception of his existence.

He was and then he wasn't. The darkness was and continued to be.

Alive or dead… these words made no sense, did not have an impact on his fading consciousness, as he was becoming nothing. Or so he believed.

"Wake up, Ayame!"

The door of his room was kicked open, or at least, the intensity in the action made it sound as such. An annoying noise he could begrudgingly categorize as a voice came right after, as if making sure to disturb his sleep for good. He cracked his eyes open in answer. The morning sunlight peering through the balcony's window greeted him and rewarded him with its warmth. Said light forced him to blink a few times to adjust his vision. He stared at an unimportant direction, bleary mind and blurry vision mixed into the best combination to adorn his violent awakening.

A simple action such as waking up became a terrible chore. And even then, the real challenge was found in getting up from the bed, regardless of one's tiredness. Some did sooner than others. A good amount of people left their beds made a mess, prioritizing their daily activities. Others took their times to inspire a sense of order from their perfectly clean rooms.

He, on the other hand, wasn't any of those. If he actually got the will to get up, it would be a miracle for his room to even look presentable at all.

His daily activities weren't important. His room wasn't important.

Nothing was important at all, and he cared as much.

He breathed in one time. He suppressed a cough caused by the sudden air intake. His chest slightly burned, lungs aching as they accepted air in their embrace, but it didn't exactly hurt.

The boy raised his upper body with unnecessary difficulty. He sat on the bed. One of his hands lazily travelled across his face, moving pieces of sprawled hair out of his line of sight.

With tired, half-lidded eyes, he scanned the place he was in. A dull grey color was painted on the walls of what he dismissively called his room. Against a wall to the left, opposite to his bed, was a desktop with a somewhat dusty PC set with its respective keyboard, monitor and a CPU. Alongside it was a book-shelf full of books, all put in place, although they weren't arranged in a specific order that made it easier to find one specific work. The dark brown door leading to the closet was in a lonely corner of the room, filled with clothes that made the boy look more respectable than he actually was when he accepted to put them on.

Anything else was unimportant and went unnoticed to him.

His eyes travelled to where the door was. The light coming from the hallway brazenly made its way into a hermit's place of choice. The dark ambient and obnoxious atmosphere of a lazy teenager's room was illuminated for all to see and admire.

A smiling teenager stood beneath the door's threshold. Either because of tiredness or reluctance to acknowledge said teenager, his mind failed to register his appearance at first. His wild brown hair, completely messy and untamed, pointed in all directions with many split ends, and its length managed to reach his nape. His brown eyes, vibrant and joyful, made a good mix with the color of his mane. He was of average stature, although he held himself with energy and vigor.

He wore a black blazer over an unbuttoned white shirt with vertical black linings, and a red T-shirt underneath. His black pants were loose, baggy, and the only thing keeping them in place was a belt. The dark blue shoes he was wearing were clearly out of place, as he had to wear black ones instead.

In the darkness of the room, the boy in bed stared at his opposite with an unreadable face.

He pursed his lips slightly. A tired scowl transformed his otherwise expressionless facial features.

"Good morning, Issei," came out a calm voice, almost inaudible. "I believe I already told you to stop waking me up like this. It's kind of annoying."

He covered a yawn with his hand. Issei seemed openly impatient; he was nothing short of a little kid wanting to go to the candy store. That candy store was actually their school, and, of course, the candies were…

"You wouldn't even wake up if I didn't help you, and we gotta make better use of your time. As your brother, it is my natural duty to introduce you to the world of beautiful women and harems, Ayame! I'll search for each and every single pretty girl if I must just to show you that it's not a waste."

…Female students.

Issei stomped his way into the dangerous territory of a lazy teenager, avoiding clothes that had been thrown haphazardly on the ground.

Ayame flopped back on his bed.

His scowl became even more unsightly for a second. It was almost painful to hear his sibling's dirty rambling. Anyone with enough lucidity, which wasn't much to begin with, could instantly conclude Issei wasn't the sharpest knife in the kitchen. Or if he could be a knife at all.

He was more of a spoon. A well-rounded idiot, more or less flat and without any actual depth, so to speak. And that was being awfully nice with him.

"…Not everyone shares your exaggerated tastes in women, Issei," he groggily muttered as he kicked his blanket away. "Is this part of that dumb bet you made with your perverted lackeys? To see if I'm actually a closeted pervert?"

Issei's friends were equally annoying—and perverted—as him. They were quite skeptic about Ayame's lack of lecherous attitudes compared to his brother's everlasting and overgrowing obsession for the female body. It was obvious they wanted another pervert in their tribe of social rejects. The gloomy teen just wanted them to disappear from existence.

"N-No." Ayame idly noted the small pause in Issei's response despite his tiredness. He should have figured it was something like that. "I'm just trying to add some flavor to your life, you lazy ass. Without me here, you would probably die a virgin!"

That sounded worse if taken out of context, in a way.

Ayame got out of bed. His feet stomped the ground with more strength than he intended to. He cracked his neck to one side, then to the other. Standing straight, he was definitely taller than Issei by a couple of centimeters. The later was kind of self-conscious about the height difference. The taller brother didn't care, except to bully his sibling into silence when his rants about bountiful lands full of single women became too much for his ears to bear.

Issei approached his brother and grabbed him by his shoulders. "C'mon, bro! If we hurry we can probably peak on the Kendo club and come out unscathed-"

Issei's shoulders were grabbed in return by skinny, pale hands, cutting his sentence short.

"Do get out of my room. You can tell me about breasts and whatnot later," Ayame ordered without missing a beat. He forced Issei out of his room roughly as his little brother spouted dumb phrases about women's bodies and their assets.

The door clicked as it closed after his brother was gone. The brunet's voice became distant. Ayame was left alone in his dark room. His steady breathing and the morning light peeking from the window were his only companions left.

A sigh filled with exasperation escaped his lips involuntarily.

For some reason, he thought it would be a good thing if one day he didn't wake up anymore. It was easier to just disappear rather than pretend he actually had energy to spare.

Although, he still found some things very annoying. His brother and his innate stupidity was one, for example.

He went to his closet to get his school uniform. His blue shirt and white shorts were thrown away, the boy not particularly bothering to put them somewhere else that wasn't the floor. He put on a white with vertical black linings and edges, not different from his brother's, and over it, a black blazer too. Black pants completed the uniform. A brand-new belt slid through the gaps, adjusting the cloth tight against his thin waist. Black shoes completed the uniform.

Before going out, Ayame's sight fell on the nightstand alongside his bed; more specifically, the object resting on the nightstand. He grabbed it.

It was some sort of stylized scarf. It was pure black in color, with golden edges and small gold patterns going across it.

He felt the cloth's softness with his fingers. His darkened face features slightly relaxed.

"Can't go out without you," he said to no one in particular, the tiniest hint of affection showing itself in his monotone voice. That scarf reminded him he actually could muster enough strength to do anything he proposed himself to, sometimes. Without it… well, he wouldn't be as eager to even go out.

Ayame neatly tied it around his neck, and stuffed its end inside his shirt in an ascot style.

He turned his head and stared at the slightly opened window of his room.

Reflected on the window's glass was the blurred image of a teenager. His wavy brown hair was long enough for it to brush his shoulders, and for some bangs to fall upon his face. His skin was sickly pale. It looked even more ghastly with the morning light of the sun passing through the window.

His brilliant blue eyes gleamed, even in the darkness of the room. If looked in a specific light, one could say they were even glimmering.

With nothing else to do in the place he would gladly use as his grave, he left the room.

He reached the dining room of the house in a matter of seventeen blinks—he did actually count—and was instantly greeted by two of the four people that bothered to even remember his name. Both his father, who was reading the newspaper of the day on the couch, and his mother, who was still making food, gifted him with the usual "good morning, son".

Ayame numbly acknowledged their salutations with an imperceptible nod and sat down at the table, across his brother. That one was wolfing down his breakfast with a clear lack of manners, as usual. A look of neutral disgust flashed on the older teen. So many years on Earth and yet, the teen he had to call brother still couldn't understand that being slightly more tempered would get him less hits and less jabs his way.

Issei gave him a weird stare in the following moment, before speaking up.

"You stif werin' thaft scaff?"

The brunet could only answer him with an appropriate expression of annoyance before the other actually realized his failure in delivering a simple message. Ayame refused to answer savages who spoke with their mouth full.

**Gulp-**

"Sorry," he apologized with a silly smile. "Why are you still wearing that old rag? You will never conquer good women with that kind of clothing, dude!"

If Ayame took offense in that remark about his scarf, he didn't really show it.

"You don't usually throw away gifts, Issei," explained the brother while softly caressing the item. "Maybe when you receive something from someone that isn't mother or father, you'll understand."

Issei hummed, either ignoring or not understanding the subtle insult thrown at him.

"So, that thing is a gift," he unironically declared the obvious, rubbing his nose thoughtfully. "From whom it may be…"

After a moment of thought, he almost jumped from his chair in a rather dramatically dumb manner while gasping.

"Don't tell me a pretty girl with big breasts gave you that!" Issei's stupid conclusion rewarded him with an emotionless glare from Ayame. "And you even kept her away from me… Sharing is caring, dude! I thought we were brothers!"

Some said that silence was worth more than a thousand words. Issei's rambling was just testament of how much you can talk about things without any actual worth. Ayame's unnoticed silence said lots of unpleasant things that could only be detected by someone who spent more time listening and watching rather than talking.

"Don't be an idiot and pull conclusions out of nowhere. If all you're going to talk about is breasts and butts, I doubt you're going to interest any person with half a brain considering the amount of neurons you possess."

Issei's conclusion was dumb at best, but Ayame had no way of knowing either way. That scarf was a gift without a giver, or at least not one he could remember.

The clinking sound of a plate settled on the table caught his attention. Ayame's breakfast laid before him.

"There you go, sweetie." Ayame's mother, Nozomi, smiled warmly at him as she placed a kiss on his head. The boy's lips quirked upward briefly, and he decided to start eating.

He felt how his mother ruffled his hair.

"You should smile more often, Ayame. You're pretty handsome. I'm sure you could make lots of girls swoon with that smile of yours," she assured while giggling lightheartedly.

He stopped his fork midway and shook his head. "Thanks, but I don't want a girlfriend."

"Then," Issei spoke again with a rather dumb grin, "doesn't that mean that Ayame is-"

"I'm not gay."

The younger sibling in question huffed disappointedly at the dry answer. "You're super boring, Ayame. You must have a secret fetish or a guilty pleasure I can exploit, and I will make sure to discover it!"

Ayame shook his head disapprovingly. Their mother kept smiling warmly at the exchange before going back to her own matters. Both of them kept eating as they had their usual one-sided conversation. Issei would converse about something that could be considered dumb or useless, and Ayame would either accept his brother's quirkiness in silence or respond in a not very gentle manner. All in all, it was their normal brotherly show of love or so Issei would call it while Ayame frowned in disgust.

They eventually finished eating. The 4 family members stood before the entrance, 2 of them ready for school, and the other 2 ready to bid them farewell for the day.

"Have a wonderful day at school, my big boys." Nozomi gave them both a hug. Issei returned it with a somewhat embarrassed expression. Ayame seemed stiff, but he did the same immediately.

"Don't get in trouble, kiddos." The father, Haruto, advised in a friendly way as he slapped them on the back. "And Ayame, make sure Issei doesn't get beaten up by another group of lasses. Again."

"Following my desires is not getting in trouble!" said Issei in a matter of seconds in a futile attempt to excuse his perverted tendencies. "It's the natural thing to do for a teenager. Ayame is the one who should be in trouble for not acting like a normal guy!"

Their parents smiled at Issei's silliness. Ayame remained impassive before his brother's crude lecherousness, and decided to not respond.

With everything said and done, the siblings went to school.

* * *

**\- ~DxD~ -**

Before Ayame stood tall and towering the edifice of Kuoh Academy. A previously all-girls school that started to allow male students in its enclosure just in time for his parents to enroll him there.

Issei had already skittered away, stalking beauties and lecherous dreams, leaving him to his silent contemplation of the place.

The place was quite colorful, he had to admit. The main building was grand and beautiful. The students were all different and unique, so much a newcomer could even end up memorizing their name and appearance with enough time spent wandering halls and a sprinkle of socializing.

However, and that's where Ayame's dislike for the place stemmed from, the otherwise elegant buildings were the home of hormonal, gossiping teenagers, and it was absolutely asinine if you weren't accustomed to the antics of said teenagers by being one yourself. Ayame had the misfortune of being too laid-back in a place where people were anything but decent. Or, in his beastly brother's words, 'too boring'.

Combine the hormonal teenagers with the fact that the school was pretentious to no end, and you got an exotic mix of something that could accurately be described as a place for fancy-pants people with a collective intelligence that couldn't greater than a monkey's.

Luckily for the teen, he was very skilled in the art of not being a retarded clown. He wasn't going to stand out at all and bring unwanted attention to himself, unlike Issei, who had already earned the moniker of the 'Perverted King' and was well known in school grounds for the worst kind of reasons.

Sometimes, Ayame did feel kind of embarrassed when situations reminded him that he indeed had a disastrous, dislikable brother. Even his numb apathy towards the world couldn't get over the fact that Issei was part of a group called the 'Perverted Trio'. But, once he remembered that the problem didn't concern him, or tainted his inexistent reputation that much, he would end up forgetting about it rather quickly. At least until the next time his idiotic sibling got illegally beaten on school's grounds by a crowd of angry women.

It was good Ayame only had one year left in that joke of a school. It was just a matter of time before he left that useless, boring part of his life behind. And then… he would get to the next meaningless milestone.

He flickered his gaze around, finally bored with his observations. The source of most of his anxieties hadn't changed much since he walked out of it the day before. Ayame dragged his feet towards the establishment and stepped inside.

The halls inside of his school were as rich-looking as always. The floors were polished enough to reflect the distorted image of any person who decided to look down, and the windows were big enough to allow as much light as possible to enter inside. A wite hue that reminded him of marble was plastered on the walls and gave a somewhat royal air to the place.

Without Issei pestering him, Ayame had the chance to admire the architecture. It was a good way to spend his time peacefully, trudging towards his class for the start of another painfully inconsequential day.

Of course, Issei wasn't the only annoyance he had to withstand on a daily basis.

There was a second annoyance, and it was a most unfortunate one, because that annoyance had just enough intelligence to tick him off whenever she felt like it. That second annoyance went by the name of-

"My, my, fancy seeing you here, Ayame-chan~"

…

…

…

…'Speak about the Devil and he shall appear', goes the saying.

Ayame also had a curse. He could invoke the things that annoyed him the most by thinking about them. That, or God found his struggling amusing enough to lead his feet towards the things and people that annoyed him purely because they existed and liked to remind him they did.

"I can barely contain my happiness about it, Himejima," responded Ayame with a bit of sarcasm and a special touch of irritation. "Also, maybe I'm suffering from a brain disease that makes me unable to remember things correctly, but I'm pretty sure we aren't that close for you to use my first name."

He didn't bother to turn around and face the owner of the voice that hummed his name so sweetly it was making him sick. Said owner giggled in a girly manner as she matched her pace with the boy's.

"C'mon, don't be like that. I think it's cuter than just calling you Hyoudou-chan~" she said in return. "We can make things even, and you could call me Akeno in return. You have to take responsibility if people get the wrong impression, though~"

Ayame's eyes scrunched slightly as a thought flashed across his mind.

'_I'll carve you open and throw you in the nearest river.'_

Of course, he wouldn't do that. That was way too messy and way, way too merciful for the woman in question.

"Ayame-chan, you're thinking about bad things again~"

"I have no clue as to what you're talking about," he shot back.

He stopped walking and snapped his neck in her direction. The girl talking to him was indeed beautiful. Her raven black hair was tied with a yellow ribbon on the back of her head, producing a stark contrast that attracted the eye. The interesting violet color that adorned her eyes gave her a mysterious aura as she analyzed him. Even the female uniform he was so accustomed to seeing was worn a lot better by her than other girls, and her figure just accentuated that natural beauty.

The aforementioned uniform consisted of a white long-sleeved buttoned shirt, with black vertical linings all over it, a black cape over her shoulders with white edges, a matching buttoned corset of the same color, and a magenta-colored skirt. Around her neck there was a black ribbon, the last part of the Academy's dress code that both Ayame and Issei decided to break without a second thought.

She was Akeno Himejima. She was famous for being one of the most beautiful girls in school.

One of the most beautiful girls? Sure, he couldn't really argue with objective facts.

A pain in Ayame's ass? Absolutely.

Akeno just decided to appear in his life one day and began to passively harass him. The boy didn't understand her reasons for doing so, and he wasn't particularly eager to investigate either way.

"If you want to elicit some funny reaction, then I'm clearly not the best candidate for your personal entertainment," he told her, face betraying no emotion whatsoever.

"Hmmm? Oh, no, no, Ayame-chan. You got it all wrong," she assured while dismissively waving a hand. "I'm not trying to make you angry or something. I do enjoy talking with you, since your reactions can be quite cute and unique~"

She got slightly closer, and spoke in a whispery voice. Her breath tickled his neck and he wanted nothing more than to sidestep her and get out. He held his ground nonetheless for he knew he would simply elicit amusement out of her if he did anything to show she made him uncomfortable.

"Besides, you actually look at me in the eye while we're talking, unlike some guys I know." The smirk and the sneaky wink she dedicated to him were enough to make him feel twitchy.

Ayame looked at no particular direction as his lips quirked upwards in a small, pained smile. "I'm starting to believe this world feels delight in punishing me. It's one dumb thing after another."

Akeno giggled again as if everything Ayame said was joke material. "Don't be embarrassed, Ayame-chan. Any other person would have blushed at being called cute~"

"Well, I'm not any other person." His smile disappeared, replaced with an expressionless face again. A tactical retreat was in order and he couldn't wait to be out of her view and her reach. "As much as I want to enjoy your general existence around me, there's a class I need to attend. Goodbye."

Ayame felt a tug on his blazer as he tried to escape a fate worse than death. He was definitely failing.

"Ah, ah, Ayame-chan. I know that my beauty is making you lose your focus, but I think you're forgetting something." He could almost hear her smile between as she spoke lazily. "We're in the same class, Ayame-chan. If you paid more attention, you would notice me more often~"

Akeno couldn't notice, but Ayame's left eye was twitching.

Yeah, he definitely failed. He couldn't avoid the damned woman. What a torture.

* * *

**\- ~DxD~ -**

"…And if you combine these, you'll get an acid salt. In this case, sodium hydrogen carbonate or NaHCO3 for short."

The chalk scratching the blackboard as the teacher wrote down chemical formulas and the constant scribbling of pens copying the content presented were the only sounds in the classroom.

Ayame enjoyed the gentle sounds thoroughly. No one was yapping. They were hunched over their notes, eyes flickering from the board to their chicken's scrabbles. His classmates had a hard time with chemistry. Most of them couldn't get a higher score than 70 percent on any test, not when they first shared desks in their first year of High School and certainly not now. Hence, the need they had of writing every single detail to at least get a passing grade later on.

He liked chemistry. Not the subject, of course. He liked the silence that came with chemistry class. One of the perks of having classmates that were 'living the life', but failed to pay attention.

Unfortunately, he also had to write. If he didn't do that, he would doze off and sleep, which meant his teacher would get angry at him and his classmates would actually realize he existed as more than a ghost lounging in the back of the classroom. It was a double-edged sword for a class to be so silent. Sleep was a sweet thought he had to reject with all his reason.

At some point, the teacher sighed and let his chalk fall noisily. "I suppose that's it for today."

A collective suspire of relief resounded across the classroom as everyone let go of their pens. "Now, settle down kids. I have your last test's results."

And just like that, relief turned into groans of exasperation.

Ayame sat with a straight back and a poker face—one he wore until it became his normal face—as he waited for the man to give him his test. He wasn't particularly preoccupied about it, given that he had _tried_ to study. He got bored halfway and stopped to nap.

It was like a domino. With every test given, there was a groan, which made the next student flinch in anticipation, before repeating the sound louder, indicating failure or relief tainted with the bittersweet discovery that their parents were not going to be overjoyed with just passing grades. It was slightly amusing. They seemed aware of how bad their scores were before they even knew what they actually got.

The teacher approached Ayame. There was a short-lived silence as the teen observed the man who was bringing attention to his desolate and peaceful corner of the classroom.

"Good job, Hyoudou-kun. You got 97 percent," praised the man with a somewhat upbeat tone. "You tripped at some specific details, but aside that, your test was enjoyable to correct. I'm sure next time you'll get a perfect grade."

Ayame took that as a cue to smile.

"Thanks, sir."

And just like that, he stiffly retrieved his useless piece of paper with chemistry formulas orderly written on it.

Just when the man walked past Ayame, the latter's smile disappeared and was replaced with a slight scowl.

'_Damned old fool,' _he spat inside his mind. _'Say my name a little bit louder, and let everyone know Isse is the brother I would prefer to keep hidden.'_

There wasn't much variation in the scores, with some people coming close to the 75 percent mark. It was almost pitiful. But of course, that didn't mean no one could get an actually decent grade.

"You're full of surprises, Himejima. You just keep getting better and better. You got 90 percent this time. Good job."

Ayame committed the error of diverting his attention towards the voice of the teacher. As the old man went away, the girl caught sight of the boy staring. She showed him her test while giving him a peace sign.

He visibly scoffed before looking away.

The classed passed by quickly. The bell rang all cross the school, signaling the end of a period. Almost everyone instinctively got up from their seats, ready to continue with activities they actually found interesting.

The eldest Hyoudou was just about to do that when an invisible force in the form of a high-pitched voice fell upon his shoulders, impeding his movements almost completely.

"Not so fast, Ayame-chan~" said the female pest. "I heard how big your score was. I might need the help of that cute little brain of yours to pass chemistry. Would you mind?"

He didn't bother to make eye contact. The pest didn't deserve his attention.

"You got 90 percent on the exam," he stated skeptically. "I'm pretty sure you're just asking for my help only to exert your ulterior motives, whatever they might be."

She showed a conveniently surprised expression. Akeno almost seemed like she was actually hurt. Ayame had the advantage of living with a buffoon every single day, so he had a knack to unravel clownish attempts to fool him. This was surely not the first from his brother or from her.

"No at all, Ayame-chan. I'm just an innocent classmate asking for you disinterested help~" cooed Himejima, clearly not trying to hide her dumb intentions, or maybe not having the ability to do so. "What could I give you in return for your oh-so mighty intelligence?"

Akeno ignored all the rules of personal space and put a hand on Ayame's shoulder. His mind screeched at the touch.

"Maybe I could give you food…"

She got slightly closer.

"…Or money…"

Her fingers started massaging his shoulder, dancing upon his black blazer and the muscles underneath. The boy could almost feel her sweet breath upon his skin, so close she dared to be.

"Or perhaps… you want… me?"

"Not in a million years."

Ayame shook her hand off of him.

"Go tell all of those things to your boyfriend or something, if you ever get one," Ayame told the girl, who didn't seem shaken in the slightest at the sudden change of tone.

She smiled again.

"My, my, Ayame-chan. Don't get too feisty with me because of a joke~"

He reclined on his seat. After some seconds of silence, he twirled his head on her direction. Dull-spirited blue eyes stared at her with an indiscernible look as brown bangs sprawled across his face.

There was a choked message in the air. The boy had lots of unpleasant commentaries to make, and he couldn't decide which one was more fitting for the conversation at hand. Before he was able to express himself, another voice overlapped over his malicious thoughts.

"Good morning, Akeno." The aforementioned girl's attention was drawn to the new partaker in the conversation. Ayame did the same.

It was another girl. A deep crimson color was the most eye-catching detail his mind had assimilated before anything else made sense. Her long, long mane was a shade of fresh blood, unnatural in all sorts of ways. Her hair cascaded down her back and sat atop her perfectly rounded shoulders, some bangs falling on her face. Despite being clearly unfixed, it had a perfectly recognizable form, as if it was already molded into that position, one which made sure to silently express the young woman's beauty constantly. Her skin was a stark white coat, smooth and silky, and her eyes, two emerald orbs. She was a mix of calm and passionate colors, all working in unison to make her appearance as remarkable as possible.

Quite funnily, Ayame didn't remember her name. He knew she was treated as some kind of celebrity in school grounds, but never bothered to investigate why. Beauty seemed to be the great reason behind one's power in his school. Yet again another fact that showed his classmates were all too hormonal.

"Good morning, Buchou," greeted back the raven-haired girl with her trademark smirk. "What may bring your highness to my humble classroom today?"

The other girl let out a lighthearted giggle. "Surely not just to enjoy your overdramatic responses, Akeno."

Ayame's presence became fully known moments later, which prompted her to follow her dialogue. "And who is this young man?"

"Oh, we're very good friends. His name is-"

"None of your business," interrupted the boy who remained silent until now. "Stop throwing my name around as if you're advertising my political campaign. We're not friends."

Both girls remained static at the dry response.

Akeno let out a very fake cough in her hand. "Don't mind his bold attitude, Buchou. He just expresses his shyness in a different manner. Quite the specimen he is~"

Ayame felt the twitches coming back to circle his eyes. "Don't treat me like a guinea pig."

Red girl put a hand beneath her chin, an understanding smile embellishing her face.

"…I see," she simply said. "Of course, it is natural to introduce myself first to know someone else's name."

She stretched out her right hand towards him.

"Rias Gremory. It's a pleasure to meet you," she spoke with an amicable smile.

The words slithered from her lips, a warm lilt accompanying each letter of her name and surname. It was welcoming, backed up with pride. Anyone could describe it as melodious, and Ayame would have imagined her as the Student Council President, one who spoke with authority yet didn't rely on it alone to add strength to her speeches; one who thought about others' words before delivering a nigh appropriate response.

Her voice was good, in a way. Enjoyable if one closed its eyes and listened intently, even.

However, it was… too good.

It sent shivers down his spine. It was like that voice was trying to get inside of his brain forcefully, disguising its true intentions by making him think it was just a guileless tone. He couldn't stand it. It was the voice of someone who didn't exactly mean what he or she said, much like Akeno's.

"I wish I could say the same," his unfitting response came out as he got up. "But, actually, no, I don't feel the same."

Ayame's hand never went to greet Rias'. The air turned awkward, and even Akeno had gotten strangely silent.

"I can see why Akeno enjoys hanging around you," said Rias while retracting her hand, smile still hanging on her face. "You're lacking in courtesy, but I suppose that acting respectful all the time would make interactions boring if there was nothing to talk about."

Ayame stuffed his hand in his pockets, walking past Rias.

"I'm not lacking in courtesy. I just don't have any reason to think you deserve my respect."

And quite anticlimactically, he left, cutting the conversation short.

They both remained completely speechless. Sounds of classmates talking near could almost be snuffed out by the uncomfortable silence that hovered over them. Rias crossed her arms, thoughtful.

"He has a higher awareness than most people. He seemed awfully quiet when I tried to give him a simple handshake."

Akeno hummed with clear interest on the find.

"Maybe that's the reason he doesn't like it when I'm around? Who knows~" Her upbeat tone of voice changed when her next thought was spoken aloud. "We do cause that kind of effect when we try to interact with people who either are too religious or those who have some kind of… natural affinity."

Rias bobbed her head to one side, wordlessly accepting Akeno's analysis.

"He doesn't strike me as a devout believer, so I'm bound to think he does have an affinity. Or untapped potential, if we want to go down that path," stated the redhead. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking…?"

The other girl shrugged. "As I said, who knows? It seems to be the most immediate explanation, but we're not going to know for sure if we don't keep an eye on him."

Akeno felt a hand on her shoulder. Rias was smiling again, charming her background audience all too easily.

"You seem to be acquainted with him already. I suppose I can trust you with that little mission, Akeno. We never know what kind of surprises we can find if we look hard enough." Her raven-haired nodded with subtle enthusiasm. Her smirk gave out what she obviously felt about the matter.

"Understood, Buchou," said Akeno as she gleefully accepted her task.

* * *

**\- ~DxD~ -**

Ayame's days were mostly the same. Maybe there was some slight variations form time to time. Maybe he would talk some more or a lot less, depending on his mood and the annoyances that surrounded him. Perhaps he did talk with different people, or maybe he would do something different, or maybe he would go to a different place. Slight variations in a sea of monotony were still atrociously monotonous.

They were that. Unsubstantial changes in his routine that started and never seemed to end.

He was the same, everyone stayed the same, everything remained the same and he couldn't take it anymore. His rejection stemmed from nothingness, from a time he couldn't care to remember. The old garment he used too many times that was finally losing its once vivid, once beloved color. That delicious food with a wonderful taste that made him nauseous and gave him stomachaches, because he knew the flavor too well. Or that sweet perfume that made him wrinkle his nose at its putrid smell affecting his already overused nostrils.

All those things he had already tried blended into a mess of useless and uninteresting memories. Things he was getting tired of. And even if there was something 'new', he knew it would turn into another routine element of his life. Trying wasn't really appealing anymore, so he was stuck in a cycle. It was no different from a person watching its own life in the third person, a spectator constantly staring at its own body from afar, watching it do repetitive things for the sake of doing something, _anything_ at all.

He felt… used. The world and its monotony was washing his colors and thoughts a dull grey.

The memory of the physicist Albert Einstein and one of his most famous quotes came to his mind. 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results'.

Ayame was aware that, no matter what he did, it would result in the same thing. He tried to not fall into that pool of repetitive insanity, but in consequence, he fell into another. One that, from afar, seemed like an infantile excuse to explain his lack of motivation. Yet, it went deeper than that.

Mental stability was far out of reach, belonging to those who cared and dared. The dullness his life was subjected to was maddening, and he accepted it with emotionless glee. It wasn't just frustration or sadness. It was a lack of sentiment. He wasn't even able to fake happiness, because there was no point. There wasn't anything to hide behind a false smile and pretty words. There was nothing.

If he hadn't had an ounce of respect for his worthless existence, Ayame would have thrown himself off a building a while ago to get it over with.

Looking at the other side of the coin with perverse tranquility, he also saw many flaws that impeded his plan to die on impact. Or prolonged the span of the miserable dark comedy show that was his life.

His parents would need to waste money for a coffin. His face would probably appear on the news, and he would be seen as a coward. Literally anyone else that wasn't him would be pitied and comforted, because no one cares about the dead. 'It's too late for him anyway' and stuff. His brother would cry and lose his shine, then bounce back because Issei was the very definition of a rubber ball. He would never stay down. He couldn't. He needed the light and the warmth of the sun, so he would stand again. Still, the time he would spend uselessly moping over a useless dead elder brother would sink his already passable grades, which would impede his future. It would worry his parents and they would all fret over a stupid death and a stupider existence they thought they knew.

Ayame's daily experiences were a vicious cycle. He didn't want to do anything because he knew it would be pointless. Not doing anything soured his mood even further, because he wanted to do something that actually made a big change in his meaningless day-to-day. This made him unable to definitely take that step forward to meet whatever was on the other side of life.

Ayame envied Issei in that regard. The later was so short-sighed he didn't need to think about lasting happiness and whatnot. He was just happy with carnal lust. An insatiable, superficial desire that would always leave him wanting for more.

The teen sighed. He looked around vacantly. Children and parents mingled in the somewhat full park where the swing chair he took as his own stood.

He found the children's playground numbly comforting. It brought him memories; times when he just enjoyed the present and wasn't pondering about things he didn't know how to fix.

The sky was darkening, the cloudy blue of the coming night mixing with the distasteful orange light of the hiding sun. It was getting late.

Ayame would have normally gone home with his younger brother by now. He felt slightly more susceptible than normal, which was the reason he decided to take a breath of fresh air.

He had enough of mindlessly admiring the scenery, though. His legs were starting to push him upwards, but…

He noticed a glimpse. There was someone staring at him, behind a tree. Peeking, there was a girl with raven-black hair curiously watching him from a distance.

'…_You gotta be kidding me,'_ he thought drily.

Dealing with dumb shit on a daily basis was something he was accustomed to. However, there was a limit to his patience.

He grabbed a small rock on the ground. After calculating the shot a little, he threw the stone.

**BAM**!

"Kyah!"

It hit the tree, making a loud sound. The conspicuous stalker girl let out a surprised yelp and fell on her butt, making quite the ridiculous scene that Ayame had the misfortune of watching in all its glory.

Sighing, he got up and approached the girl with heavy steps.

He stared at her, unsure of what kind of insult he could use to express his annoyance.

"Who the hell are you? Why are you watching me?" he told her. "I don't exactly care about your weird fantasies or whatever is pushing you to stalk me, but I would appreciate if you directed it towards someone else."

After the initial shock, the girl seemed genuinely confused at Ayame's accusation. She stuttered some things as she struggled to get up.

"Oh, eh…I mean…I-I'm sorry…" she apologized, not actually managing to talk like a normal person. "It's just that… I…. T-This is not what it looks like…"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Explain yourself. Your answer will decide whether I go away or bother to keep listening to you."

She slapped the dirt away from her skirt and fiddled with her fingers.

"Eh… Well, my name is Yuuma Amano…" she said with the same nervous tone, albeit she kept some composure now. "I… I know it looks super weird for me to be watching you from afar, b-but… I do have a reason…"

"Which is?"

She looked down, unable to clear things up right away. After a bit of mental preparation, she actually spoke up.

"I'm… I'm in love with your brother!"

…

…

…

Ayame was, all things considered, pretty much impervious to almost anything. He just didn't care enough for anything to impact his conscience that much, no matter what it was.

But he was still a human. More or less functional, but a human nonetheless. Some things were able to make him question his own sanity, tickle his funny bone just a little, or just make him give up hope on humanity as a whole.

This situation managed to cause the 3 aforementioned effects on him, and he wasn't exactly sure which one was stronger.

"…You picked my interest, but I'm confused," he admitted while stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Why my brother? And most importantly, why are you telling me about this? I'm not Issei."

Yuuma started scratching her head with a quivering smile, seemingly trying to find the perfect explanation for such an unreasonable action.

"W-Well… I have been observing Hyoudou-kun for quite some time," she admitted. "I guess it's wrong to call it love just yet, but I like him. I like how honest he is with his feelings. I like how he doesn't back up from doing what he wishes, even if others tell him he's an idiot or such. And… well, he seems like a focused person. Maybe, if I make him fall in love with me, he will abandon his… perverted attitudes. Maybe he just needs someone who loves him in a way no one else does."

Ayame thought this girl was one of many idiots when he met her. And he was right, but she turned out to be an articulate idiot. Someone who actually believed her own lies.

'…_Love. Yeah, right. As if such a thing made sense.'_

The boy adjusted his scarf a little.

"You are aware that this is incredibly suspicious, right?" crudely said Ayame. "A girl I have never met in my life appears out of nowhere and claims she likes my brother, and I'm just supposed to believe it? What's more, why are you even telling me about this? Why should I care about your feelings?"

A faint blush could be seen on her cheeks. Her sight diverted to the ground again.

"I… I don't know how to approach him." Her voice lowered, product of embarrassment. "He's pretty straightforward, and I have the feeling he would be overjoyed if I told him my feelings… but I'm afraid he may take it the wrong way. I don't… want to be just an eye-candy for him… I thought you, his brother, would know."

Ayame huffed heavily in response. He never thought he would get involved in something that might as well come from a romcom for teens or something, but he disliked it already.

Yet, however acidic it may sound… this was beneficial for Ayame.

If Issei got a girlfriend, God forbid, maybe he would actually become a mildly dignified individual. He would still be an annoying pest, of course, but at least he would seem more respectable.

He didn't really care about the girl's feelings, or how his idiotic brother would accept them. He just wanted tranquility.

"…Just tell him."

Yuuma rewarded Ayame's quick response with a disappointed frown. He proceeded to explain himself slowly. He was never sure how stupid people truly were but he preferred to play it safe and consider most of them as 5 years old. It had proven useful more often than not. This particular girl seemed foolish enough to believe she could somehow 'fix' his brother's bad habits; therefore she had to be quite imbecilic herself. Issei's lust was all consuming and she would need a lot of patience and skills to curb it.

"Issei is not as complicated as you think he is. He's like a little kid. The thing he wants the most is attention. He will most probably accept your confession, and if you stay with him whenever he wants to do something stupid, he may just change." Ayame walked past the girl, not bothering to look back. "Don't talk to me again. If you want something, and you know how to get it, then do it already. It's not that hard."

Yuuma stared at the boy's back, who lost himself in the distance. The chilly winds of the evening blew every now and then, moving the trees.

The girl's lips formed a smile moments later. It wasn't the smile an innocent high-school girl would wear after knowing she could confess to the boy she liked.

It was the toothy, macabre smile of a predator seizing up her prey.

* * *

**\- ~DxD~ -**

Ayame stared blankly the ceiling. His mouth was hanging open, making his cosmetic IQ drop several levels beneath the norm. He didn't care, for there were no other humans besides him in the room that would judge his current appearance in any way.

Long brown hair sprawled on his pillow and hands resting on his chest, the blue marbles that filled his eye-sockets looked at the specks of dust flying across his room. He tried to count them, to no avail for they moved with each breath that escaped his lungs.

He tried to remember what the day was, and what he did the day before. It was all fuzzy, distant. His mind was going everywhere. Just like always. His body felt the passing of time, a few days at most. Nothing too serious.

And, quite obviously, he didn't care.

**BAM!**

Yet, that didn't stop a certain annoyance from breaking down his calm environment.

"Wake up, Ayame!"

On the other side of the room, the older sibling scowled.

'_Is it me or Issei's voice got more annoying than normal all of a sudden?'_ he thought. Not that it mattered if it was actually true, but a few pitches graver and his brother's voice would have been able to chip away his sense of hearing. Ayame liked to not be deaf.

"Wake up, lazy ass!" repeated the younger brother. "This is a new day and you're still the same sloth! C'mon, we're gonna be late for school."

The brunet craned his head and his sight rested on the digital clock on the nightstand. His eyes scrunched.

"It's 6:30 A.M., dumbass. Who goes to school at this hour?"

The other boy flashed him a dumb lecherous smile. "The early bird gets the pretty girl, hehehehe!"

Punching Issei and making him swallow his own teeth was a tempting idea, but alas, Ayame didn't want to dirty his fist. Stupidity was a dangerous and contagious pathogen, and its symptoms would definitely endanger his well-trained wits and skyrocket his body's hormone production. Turning into a mindless pervert was a distasteful idea.

After arguing a little over something stupid, Ayame woke up earlier than normal and waiting until going to school was actually inevitable. Issei being a little more hyper than normal didn't help the former to go through his sleep-deprived bad mood.

On their way to school, the younger teen giggled at nothing for no reason every now and then. The most mature one found himself confused at such an open display of happiness without clear motive. He felt compelled to ask, which was weird to begin with.

"What are you so happy about?"

Issei put his hands behind his head, humming upbeat tunes. "I may just tell you, but I want it to be a surprise."

And just like that, the conversation hit another standstill. Horny boy couldn't hold his overwhelming excitement inside and faced with Ayame's prolonged and disinterested silence, he revealed the cause of his good mood.

"Y'know what, I'll just tell you anyway!" he suddenly blurted out. "It's just… uuugh, it's so good and amazing I just don't know how to tell you about it!"

The older brother quickly struck his counterpart's statement with petty remarks. "A new pretty girl with big breasts? Or butt? Or both?"

"Yes! But, eh, not exactly! But definitely, yes! More or less… haha…"

"Just tell me, dimwit."

Issei didn't seem pressured in the slightest at his brother impatience, and cleared his throat before revealing the oh-so wonderful news.

"It's just that…. The other day, when I got out of school, this very cute girl appeared out of nowhere. She was from another school, I suppose. At first, I didn't know why she bothered to even talk to me from all people. I thought she was just asking for directions, but…"

The other teen quickly diverted his sight somewhere else, trying to hide his surprised, overjoyed expression.

"…All of a sudden, she literally confessed to me! Like, dude, a real, gorgeous girl actually confessed her feelings to me!" his incredible revelation was followed by goodhearted laughs and giggles. "I was so happy I couldn't even notice how good her figure was at first-"

Ayame tuned his brother's voice off.

So… that girl had actually done it. He had forgotten about Yuuma or whatever her name was, and her desire to confess to his brother, given that he hadn't taken her that seriously. It had been suspicious when she told him about her plans, but now, even though she did approach Issei… It only became more suspicious than ever.

Maybe, that feeling of distrust was born from the fact that he just wasn't capable of understanding such concepts as 'love'. He wasn't exactly attached to anyone, so he didn't know how it worked.

But, deep inside, the teen was uneasy. Sure, he could blame his own mediocre handling of human emotions, but there was something else. Everything was too sudden, too fast, even for the upbeat rhythm his sibling's way of living danced to.

And, for a moment, he thought of Akeno and Rias, whom he had talked with days before.

It was the same feeling. The idea that the person in front of you, talking to you, was lying so well, you could see through that lie from how good it was built up. It was too good to be true.

"Hey, are you listening?"

His sibling's boisterous voice snapped him out of his gloomy trance. He answered immediately.

"Sorry. I spaced out for a moment."

Issei caressed his chin, as if he had an invisible beard, grinning as he did so. "Hehehe, you must be seeing red from jealousy right now! How does it feel for your little bro to have a girlfriend before you do, eh? Want some love tips?"

Ayame snorted drily in return. "I will accept your love tips, as long as they keep any woman away from me."

"You use words that do not hurt anymore, my dear brother!" he quickly rebutted. "I have shown to the world that Issei Hyoudou is as capable of getting a girlfriend as anyone else! The whole 'cold and distant' guy routine hasn't done you any good, bro. You gotta start opening up a little more!"

"Don't say it as if I actually wanted a girlfriend," responded Ayame once again.

Issei ruffled his own hair, as if praising himself, even when his older brother didn't show much interest in his mind-blowing achievement.

"Hehe, I know. I was very happy, and… well, you're the first person I wanted to talk with about this." Recognition dawned on his face moments later, and he spoke. "Oh, right! I'm going on a date with her this Sunday. Wish me luck on my first romantic trip!"

The older brunet let out a non-committed hum of understanding.

"Sure. Try to not scare her off with your perverted ways."

He received a soft punch on his shoulder for his sharp words.

"Like you're one to talk, Ayame. You're even creepier than I am."

The overall mood of the conversation was lighthearted. Issei finally got a healthier way of occupying his time without bothering others. Ayame could be fortunate enough to not put up with him the entirety of his time, now.

Yet… there was anticipation.

Ayame couldn't explain it, but he was anticipating something. Deep inside of his conscience, his gut feeling was alerting him of something he couldn't understand nor exactly foresee.

What kind of unknown situation had he thrown himself into to feel so… out of it? He was always in control of normal situations for they were dull and predictable, but he felt he was being played a fool by someone else right now. The teen would have never been able to explain the sentiment correctly with his current knowledge.

In the end, he decided to ignore the frightened calls of his instincts, thumping in the back of his head, and drifted by throughout the rest of the day as he had done so many times before.

* * *

**\- ~DxD~ -**

It was getting incredibly difficult to just ignore the alarm blaring in his mind. Ayame's awareness of time became increasingly clearer as the worries his mind had stealthily formed embraced reality.

Sunday had finally come. The silence that reigned on the Hyoudou household was a strange occurrence that wasn't experienced often. Any other time, it would have been a gift the boy would have gladly accepted with the same dull tranquility that characterized him. But this time was different.

His brother had left for his date early in the morning. There was no sign of him. No sign of his vigor or foolishness.

After double checking to make sure he and his parents were the only ones in the house, Ayame opted to waste away on his bed, looking at the ceiling with the same vague expression he always wore.

Over the past days, he had tried to not think too much about his brother and Yuuma and the rising dread it all brought to the front of his otherwise dull and grey life. But the closer Sunday came to be a reality, the more uneasiness he felt over something he couldn't, for the life of him, understand.

Why was he so shaken? His brother going on a date was bizarre, yes, but not something to lose sleep over. No, it was that girl that ticked him off. Just thinking about her was enough to make him lose it, however faint that nervousness may be.

Yet, no matter how much he turned the gears inside of his head, he couldn't get a straight answer. It wasn't something he could just rationalize. He couldn't explain his gut feeling to calm his troubled mind.

…But, even if he knew, would he be able to do anything? Would he _want_ to do anything at all?

…

…

…

Just by thinking about it a little more, the urge to laugh at his own stupidity became utterly unavoidable.

Why was he getting so worked up over something so mundane? Experiencing something new after getting accustomed to a repetitive routine probably fried his brain. Maybe he was just overthinking about a situation that just didn't concern him that much, and he felt so bored he actually tried to convince himself he had to do something. His routine was so overwhelming he had tried to conjure a reason to move aimlessly to prove he was indeed a living being.

With a spark of mockery lighting his mind, he remembered it was Sunday. He had an entire day for himself, alone, his home bereft of his brother.

Well, his time alone wasn't very different from slowly rotting on the comfortable surface of his bed. He could be aimlessly walking for hours instead of lying down unmoving.

And that thought glued itself to the forefront of his mind, always coming and whispering about the outside world every time he tried to close his eyes and forget he existed.

Ayame got up with unnecessary effort. He put on a short-sleeved white shirt, his scarf, and black pants accompanied with brown boots. The trip from his room, down the stairs and to the front door was almost immediate.

He opened the door and got out. The dim sunlight that only appeared soon in the morning rested on his pale complexion, and a cold gust of wind made his skin tingle every now and then. The deep blue of the mostly uncovered sky, not much different from the color of his eyes, extended as far as he could see.

It was a sight most people would enjoy. Calm, peaceful, and tranquil.

He found it dull.

Without much else to do, he began to walk aimlessly.

* * *

**\- ~DxD~ -**

His feet stamped on the pavement each time he took a step. His legs were on the brink of giving out because of choice, not exhaustion. It was somewhat hard to breathe, and the constant expressionless look he always showed to everyone else was somehow starting to hurt the muscles residing under the skin of his visage.

One hour outside felt like an entire day of activities. Two hours already were constraining for his boot-encased toes. By the fourth hour, a sharp pain was forming behind his eyes as the sunlight dried them and rendered useless, and thirty minutes later, his spine was finally failing to keep his back straight correctly. He just kept on going. Everything was meaningless. The pain he was going through was meaningless, but it was something. It existed, just like he did.

At some point, Ayame considered the idea of going home appetizing. Then, he suddenly started thinking about cars, and in consequence, how good it would be for one to run over him and put him to sleep forever.

He didn't have the guts to throw himself in the middle of the street while the automobiles were moving, so that train of thought lost importance, although it had a prominent influence in his subconscious.

Honestly, he was already regretting his decision to leave his favorite place to rot.

Why was he outside, again? Something, something, something about Issei. It was something about Issei and that stupid bitch, Yuuma.

The teen couldn't even think about her and remain calm. She was getting on his nerves. That damn skank… even though they talked one time in their entire lives, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He wanted to erase that memory off his mind. No, better yet, he wanted to erase Yuuma from the known universe. He wished the rock he had thrown at her had hit her and snapped her neck in two, destroying her in consequence.

He grasped his scarf, searching for the familiar feeling of comfort in his precious possession.

The teen hated it. The feeling that he wasn't in control, that someone was above him, superior to him, he couldn't withstand it. How could anyone fool him at all? A stupid girl who thought his brother would change just because of love, at that.

That damned feeling wouldn't leave him alone, even tough he reasoned and reasoned with it. Yuuma couldn't be superior. She couldn't be anything of interest. She had to leave his mind alone. Now.

Yet her image stayed fresh and clear behind his closed eyelids. It was eating his conscience away, constantly reminding him that he had overlooked something. He had missed a crucial detail that affected him in a way he couldn't begin to describe.

The hours went by. With each second, his frustration only grew, and the more lost he was in his own thoughts, the fewer possibilities that he would return home anytime soon. If he had acknowledged the world around him at all, he would have known he travelled at least half a quarter of the city and a little more. He never stopped walking to admire his surroundings, for he found none of the things in his immediate vicinity interesting enough. His thoughts were all consuming and so was Yuuma, Yuuma, Yuuma and his brother.

At some point, he actually decided to snap from his inner daze voluntarily.

Ayame half-heartedly scanned the place he was in. It was a park. It was devoid of any other soul, with only the sound of leaves softly brushing against each other and the wind caressing, breezing through trees, as its lonesome residents.

The setting sun in the sky, scenery that the boy found disgusting, served as the only natural hint that gave away the constant flow of time ticking away, which Ayame had been consciously unaware of.

He spent most of the day walking, thinking, and yet managing to get none of the answers he so desired. It was a wasted day, a coarse fact that openly declared the uselessness of his decision. Wasted day he could have spent in bed, thinking all the same.

The brunet found himself strolling deeper into the open park, eyes darting from a place to another.

"What a goddamn waste…"

His voice was eaten by the trees. His vocal show of frustration didn't manage to get the strength he wanted it to have, losing itself between barks and leaves.

"…I have to return. This was pointless."

And so he wished. And he was going to do it. But his legs had carried him farther and farther to a place and time he wasn't meant to be at. Instead of turning around, he kept walking forward, and sooner or later, the soothing feeling of loneliness was replaced with the inevitable dread of something he couldn't handle.

He noticed. Many meters in front of him, shadowy figures he recognized were hidden by the subtle darkness of dusk, with a fountain of water separating them.

Ayame blinked and squinted, adjusting his eyes to the sudden twilight. His curiousness had gotten the better of him. The shadows didn't notice him, but he noticed them.

He stared at the taller, slightly bulkier shadow. Fancy clothes recently bought just to impress and a brown mop of hair wouldn't have been enough for anyone to notice who it was, but Ayame instantly recognized that person.

"Issei…" The words were drawn out, choked. Something was taking the air out of his lungs, impeding him from speaking up. His head found itself forcibly turning to the opposite side, the image of the second shadow acting as a lure for his subconscious curiosity.

Edges of a black dress fluttered in the wind. Upon said black dress was a white jacket hugging a smaller, more feminine body. The dark hair that cascaded down her back, and her violet eyes… It took him moments to remember.

Yuuma and Issei. They had gone on a date, and now, against all odds, Ayame was in the same place as them.

But something was not right. Both Ayame and Issei couldn't move. They were both oppressed by a force their weak, limited mind couldn't comprehend.

Issei was stiff. His older brother could see the shock on his face, the way he stared, horrified, at the person who looked the least harmful of the three. Ayame knew that expression. It was one of fear, of confusion.

It was a look of hurt.

Yuuma, who could be seen smiling from the corner of her face, seemed relaxed. She hadn't realized the blue-eyed boy's presence from afar. After the longest seconds of their lives, she spoke up.

"Do I have to repeat it again, Issei?" She giggled with a hint of condescendence. "Fine. I never expected your pathetic little brain to understand just by telling you once."

She took 3 accentuated steps forward, hands hanging on her sides.

"Ok, then. I'll repeat myself in a way you understand, and will never forget-"

Woosh-

With a sound akin to the wind blowing strongly for a second, two big shadows impossibly sprouted from the girl's back.

Feathered shadows. The dim moonlight peeking from the approaching night sky illuminated them, and the boy understood. Wings.

Yuuma raised her right arm. She opened the palm of her hand slowly, eyes gazing at her horrified date amusedly.

Ayame stared. Time slowed down for him as the unfathomable unfolded before him.

What appeared to be weirdly colored fireflies suddenly flew around and circled the girl's hand, gathering in a vibrant halo that made the teen feel like running a thousand years to get away from it. He didn't. He was rewarded with the view of an orb of pure violet light forming, floating beneath her hand. Said orb shifted, changed, and with a distorted noise, took another form. Slim and pointy it had become. The boy could only think of one way to describe it, that was as a 'spear' of sort. A dangerous one.

The spear made of light crackled, arcs of fiery electricity dancing around its surface.

Then, the voice that augured a terrible fate appeared again.

"-Will you die for me?"

Ayame tensed. His idiotic brother had to move. "Isse-!"

A flash cut off Ayame's sentence. Just an instant later, it was followed by a silent scream and liquid splatters' echoing throughout the place.

Ayame forgot to breath. His brother was on the ground. Issei hadn't been able to escape. The spear had carved his stomach all the way to the other side of his body, its strength so forceful it threw him to the ground after sending him flying in the air. Smoke and bubbling blood came out of the injury. The boy gasped like fish out of the water, crimson substance falling from his mouth.

He tried to grasp the light boiling his insides, only for it to disappear in thin air at the touch of his hands. The rest of his guts that weren't entirely damaged fell on the cold ground. Issei faltered, following suit, falling face first on a pool of sticky red ooze with a loud splash.

A high-pitched cackle resounded at the morbid display.

"Hahaha! I honestly thought you would put on more of a fight, but I suppose that's impossible for your kind," she declared arrogantly. "Potential or not, it doesn't matter. It will never change the fact that you're just a worm that only exists for _our_ entertainment."

After admiring her work, her sight instantly fell on the other spectator, until that time unknown to the main actors.

She dedicated him a dangerous smile.

"Oh, what a surprise." She wasn't surprised at all. "If it isn't Mr. Lonesome himself, gracing me with his lowly presence. This must be destiny."

He had a lot of rebuttals for that snarky remark, but none came out.

His annoying, lustful, idiotic brother was on the ground, dead.

"You know," she continued, "I was planning on erasing you from existence after I finished with your brother. You made my job easier, I'll give you that."

One step towards him. He wasn't able to run. Just like Issei.

"I didn't know who to kill first, but after meeting you, I was sure. I wanted to see if you were able to keep cool and calm after I was done skewering your body to pieces. Wanna put that to test?"

The same distorted noise from before made a comeback, and with it, another spear in Yuuma's hand.

Ayame remained silent. It's not that he didn't want to speak. He couldn't.

But for a feeling so strong to make him unable to talk, to escape, to think… was this… fear?

It wasn't possible. It was not fear. It was… something else. Something familiar…

His gaze fell on Issei's body involuntarily, as a vulture would upon dead, rotting meat. Hadn't his brother become just that, exactly?

Yuuma followed his eyes, and laughed mirthfully again.

"Are you wondering why this is happening to you both?" she inquired with a sly intonation. "Well… it would be a waste of my time to explain it to a clueless vermin like you. But I'm not _that_ cruel as to deny you the cause of your imminent death."

She got closer again. The air was getting heavy. His legs felt like bricks. His heart's slow thumping shook his sight every now and then.

"Let's say I got orders to get rid of you, because you may hold something potentially dangerous within yourself." She pointed a finger at him. "Your Sacred Gear, that is."

The boy couldn't understand at all. Orders? From who? Sacred Gear?

Too many questions, too little time to get answers.

She let out another dark giggle, seemingly enjoying herself with the obscure spectacle she was creating. "But… I will admit, meeting up with you and your brother wasn't part of the plan. The date wasn't part of the plan, either."

She ran a finger on her quirked, red, red, red lips.

"I guess I just wanted to have some fun with you two, hahahahahah!" As she finished laughing, the girl gave Ayame a look of contempt. "Don't worry, you piece of trash. You will be feeling so much pain you won't have any time to curse your own fate."

Yuuma's postured slackened for a moment-

"Here, catch!"

-And with a quick movement of her wrist, another light shoot out from her hand towards him.

Ayame's senses flared, sensing the danger he was being subjected to. With instinctual precision, he raised his arms in front of him in a futile attempt to protect himself.

**SCHUNK!**

Raw wetness splashed against his face. Stumbling a bit from the force of the impact, he uncovered his sight.

The spear had pierced through his elbow, bisecting his left arm and puncturing his left shoulder in the process. Small chunks of torn tissue held on from the exposed piece of bone. A strong smell of burnt flesh messed up with his senses. Pain and disbelief mingled in his mind, eclipsing any logical thought he might have had.

He stared at the severed limb twitching on the ground. The feeling was absolutely agonizing. It was burning his pain sensors to the point of soreness, and he couldn't withstand it. Numbness came swiftly after, when his nerves simply shut down.

But, no matter how much it hurt or elicited mysterious emotions out of him, he didn't scream, or cried, or changed his expression.

"Oh? Pretty impressive, trash. Anyone else would have been crying their hearts out, begging for forgiveness," remarked the sadistic woman. "But I'm not done. It's always exciting to play with the quiet ones. The moment when they break down and they reveal that weakness common to all humans…"

Another spear made its existence known.

"…That's the most exquisite thing there is to witness!"

And then, she threw it at him again.

Ayame's legs gave out. He lost his footing and fell to the ground. It was cold. Cold like him. Cold like death.

**Slash!**

The spear cleaved his right shoulder, barely missing his lung. If it had hit correctly, Ayame would have been breathing and coughing blood, drowning in what kept him alive for long.

"It seems my aim is a bit off. But I guess it can't be helped. I normally don't take things seriously when dealing with scum."

Again the distorted noise. Again another spear.

"Don't worry. Next time I won't fail!"

**Schunk!**

Right thigh.

"C'mon, cry! Scream! Let that wonderful voice filled with despair come out!"

**Schunk!**

Left shin.

"Drop dead, you little shit! Beg for your life!"

**Schunk!**

Right shoulder again.

She kept throwing spears at him. It came to a point when Ayame was almost completely covered in his own blood. From each and every wound was born an indescribable burning sensation.

She was missing vital organs on purpose. She was really trying to make him beg for his life.

But it was pointless.

Even if Ayame wanted to beg, he couldn't. Besides, he didn't feel the need to. He didn't feel the need to because what this prefaced was all too wonderful to be stopped.

"Haah, haah… You're a persistent type of insect, aren't you?" she grunted, panting. "Well, it seems you won't even talk. That's a shame."

His sight was blurry. He barely registered Yuuma's form in a world shrouded in darkness. But he saw, more or less, another blinding light held by the girl's hand. It was coming. It was finally coming.

"Boring until the end, eh? I guess I had the wrong expectations," Yumma said with a hint of disappointment. "I'll just put you out of your misery once and for all."

This was the end. Ayame couldn't do anything. Issei had died, and he would follow suit.

"Guh… Haah…"

A gurgling voice slipped from the boy's mouth.

"Oh? It seems you're finally going to talk. Fine, then. Let me hear your final words."

He took some seconds to adjust his exhausted voice. Air was stuck in his lungs, refusing to leave its refuge as he pushed his diaphragm, pushed until finally, his vocal chords could work with something else than wheezes and coughs. He crumpled on himself, unable to concentrate on anything but the pain and his organs that dared to go against his will. Trying to stand up was impossible. The blood was drying up, painting another crimson layer on his soon-to-be corpse.

"D…o… Do…"

His voice was calm, but raw. A mixture of inhuman indifference, even in a moment such as this, and overwhelming pain.

"…Do it."

It was nothing more than a whisper. Yet, at the sudden change in Yuuma's expression, he felt compelled to say it again.

"Do it."

The girl seemed shocked for a brief moment, and then, she glared at him with disgust.

"Are you mocking me, human?"

But he kept going, each time louder.

"Do it!"

She clenched her teeth. Her fist tightened around the spear, which grew brighter and larger.

"So you still think you're big and strong, huh?!"

Ayame knew what was coming. That was what he wanted more than anything, the only thing he desired, the only thing he had yearned for so _long_.

"DO IT!"

Any sign of patience was lost. Yuuma stomped her left foot forward, launching her ethereal weapon at him with much more strength than before. A blast of wind followed the spear's wake as it hungrily closed distances with its objective.

A blow with the strength of the world crashing against him struck him down.

Ayame stayed immobile. His mind was spinning. He couldn't think straight anymore.

He looked down.

Bloody and charred, there was a fist-sized gaping hole where the boy's heart was supposed to be.

Now, there was really nothing inside of him.

After tilting from back to forth, he finally fell on his chest in the same manner Issei did. Lifeless, and in a pool of his own blood messily staining the cold ground that served as his resting place.

He couldn't see anymore. He couldn't hear anything anymore. He couldn't breathe anymore.

**.**

**.**

**.**

_Does it hurt, Ayame?_

**.**

**.**

**.**

The blood vessels that had ruptured inside of his body were starting to drown him. His lungs couldn't function anymore. His body couldn't do the littlest he was so used to; living. He felt heavy.

**.**

**.**

**.**

_Contrary to what many people believe, pain is not always bad._

**.**

**.**

**.**

There was a thumping sound thrumming through his ears. It wasn't his heart, which had been vaporized. It was Yuuma's footsteps as she walked away from her victims and the place where they had fallen, finding none of what she did interesting anymore.

**.**

**.**

**.**

_Pain is not only a biological response. It doesn't mean we're just going to die._

**.**

**.**

**.**

Ayame's eyelids were closing with a shiver. His world was disappearing. His mind was vanishing. There was only a familiar voice. A childhood memory.

**.**

**.**

**.**

_If it hurts, be happy. You're still alive._

**.**

**.**

**.**

The darkness was finally devouring him whole. His end was coming near and Ayame wanted to embrace it, to be engulfed and disappear in the nothingness that had crept over him for so long. His meaningless life was coming to an end and he welcomed it with something akin to gladness.

Golden veins beat alongside his own, drinking his blood and straining his heart. Darkness fell upon the world, obscuring his vision and his thoughts.

But… far away, distant, was a flickering blue light. It was weak, flimsy, coming and going as if it couldn't decide between appearing and vanishing, between living and dying. The boy who was about to conclude his existence watched it blankly for he couldn't close his eyes. The little light flickered with more energy. There was a hidden sense of strength in it. Something that, even in its last moments, refused to give in.

He stared as it grew wider. Stronger. Not enough to cover his sight completely, but enough for his dying consciousness to acknowledge its mystical presence.

His conscience was shutting off. And just before blanking out, he heard it clearly.

**.**

**.**

**.**

_Be afraid, not of feeling, but of not feeling anything. The moment you feel nothing for anyone or anything… that's the moment you have truly died._

**.**

**.**

**.**

And, right then, the teenager known as Ayame Hyoudou died.

* * *

**~Glossary~**

-Japanese Honorifics: the Japanese often use honorific suffixes after names to express the depth and level of relationship they have with the people they speak with. (_-San_ is the most commonplace, used in formal and informal contexts with any person to show general respect; _-Sama_ is used to express great respect for people with higher rank than oneself, or gods; _-Kun_ is a term of respectful endearment, used by seniors to speak to juniors in workplaces, and between people who are pretty close; _-Chan_ is a diminutive form that expresses endearment for a younger person, women, or someone who's considered adorable/cute; -_Senpai_ is used to adress seniors or older people in any context, from school, to the workplace, and others; -_K__ō__hai_ is used to adress juniors, opposite from -Senpai.)

-_Buchou_: "President." (As in, president of a school club. Japanese.)

* * *

**~Author's note~**

Fin.

Sooo, that's it for today boys and girls. Tell me what did you think of this first chapter in the reviews. Try to make it concise and well written. Better reviews make for a better story in the long run, and I need the reader's insight. How did you like Ayame? Were the other characters well portrayed? Did you like the descriptions and dialogues? Tell me about anything that caught your interest. It really helps me.

D O N ' T ask for updates, 'kay? Quality over quantity, I say. It's better for me and you.

Also, kudos for everyone who actually read the author's note. You're all the real MVPs.

Have a good day. See ya.

**(17/11/2019)**


	2. Resurrection

**Phase 1 - Gula**

**Chapter 1 – Resurrection**

* * *

Blue eyes snapped open.

Wet, thick fog settled upon his eyes, impeding him from discerning the details of his surroundings. The world was undistinguishable, blurry, shrouded by the opaque curtain his tiredness produced. A few blinks later, tired tears and dots converged to the corners of his eyes and flowed out. The visual information began to flow in uninterrupted, his sight recovering its natural effectiveness. Although his gaze was slightly blurred, he still expected to see the dull white color of his room's ceiling upon waking up. It was missing.

Another strange detail made him breathe in deeply through his nose, trying to pick up familiar scents. His olfactory sense supplied an answer to his muddled mind; nothing was familiar. The musty scent that clung to his bed sheets was nowhere to be found. However, a distinctive, softer vanilla fragrance that didn't quite belong to any surface of the house he lived in floated around him. There was the sweet smell of incense and newly cleaned, sterilized floor hovering on his tongue.

As his conscience fell down to his earthly body, he noticed the fast, labored beating of his heart thumping loudly and quickly against his chest. He felt so tired that the strong ba-dum of the organ shook his brain painfully. A searing migraine settled itself inside his skull, manifesting as a terrible throbbing that was not unlike a time bomb. Each new painful pulsation was one number counting down on the ticking clock, before his skull inevitably exploded and sprayed the walls red and grey with his blood and thoughts.

He twitched under soft smelling covers. Tremors travelled across his body and he wasn't sure if he was the one moving or if they were the ones making him curl and twist.

He tried to control his breathing. The seconds went on. A crushing weight inside of his chest burdened his spine. It made the task of filling his lungs with air difficult. He couldn't gather enough oxygen to speak his thoughts aloud. His skeleton was comparable to solid concrete in weight, as it was almost impossible to even budge without exerting terrible force on his tired limbs.

'…_What the… Why do I feel so tired…'_

The left side of his body was particularly senseless. Electric jolts travelled throughout his form, accompanied with shivers beneath his skin. Every heartbeat was as if being zapped by a current, the left half of his anatomy heating up constantly in response.

His mind, though… his mind was the most affected. Although he was actually eyeballing the ceiling, the images his sight was registering were from a past incident. His senses were still overwhelmed, stuck in a previous occurrence that had left a permanent impact on his psyche. Blinding flashes of what had happened intertwined and messed up with his perception of time and space. Reality and fiction mixed, and sooner or later, there was no difference between one and another.

Even though he was smelling perfume, feeling the softness of the bed underneath him and seeing a normal ceiling, his brain didn't quite catch up to those things.

No. He was experiencing something else, remembering something else that any other sane yet fragile mind would have forgotten for sanity's sake itself. Things so horrid and terrible they would remain as nothing more than illusions, or unspeakable nightmares

It was the sound of wicked laughter and contemptuous insults, the smell of burning human flesh and the sight of bright crimson red of blood.

It was his blood and his brother's.

Everything came back to him in a split of a second.

Yuuma.

**.**

**.**

**.**

"_I'm… I'm in love with your brother!"_

**.**

**.**

**.**

The date.

**.**

**.**

**.**

_"Oh, right! I'm going on a date with her this Sunday. Wish me luck on my first romantic trip!"_

**.**

**.**

**.**

Issei.

**.**

**.**

**.**

"_Do I have to repeat it again, Issei?"_

**.**

**.**

**.**

The pain-

**.**

**.**

**.**

"_-Will you die for me?"_

**.**

**.**

**.**

-And their death.

His body twitched upwards in one violent jolt. The tiredness and disorientation were short-lived, quickly replaced with confusion and anxiety. He wasn't in real danger, but the suddenness of his awakening and the horrifying experiences that his memory subjected him to forced Ayame to stay in a state of great alert.

His right hand, still mobile, went up to his chest subconsciously.

Ragged breaths escaped his lips and it was such a strange sound to hear in the stillness of the room. Issei did the panting in their family. Ayame couldn't fathom why he couldn't breathe well, until his mind admitted to a bizarre fact.

Everything came crashing down. He gasped.

His lungs constricted on air that just didn't want to go down in his bloodstream. Dots swam in his vision.

Shortness of breath, heart beating too hard, disorientation… he was hyperventilating.

The hand on his chest clenched, scratching the skin underneath the clothes, as he thought it would go through the gaping hole in his chest to the other side; the bleeding, burning, rotting hole that was forcibly carved with methods beyond human comprehension. Morbidly enough, there was no hole. And the worst part was that it wasn't the only element out of place.

His right hand flew to his left arm on instinct. Ayame took ahold of it, and gripped it strongly, seeking a sensation, a feeling, anything. His nerves sent no such thing to his brain. It was numb, a piece of dead and cold meat and bone that might as well not been there at all. The crude sound of muscle and bone tearing apart like a butcher carelessly cutting flesh rang inside of his ears, and he cringed ever so slightly at it. That arm wasn't supposed to be there.

The eerie emotion of perplexity kept puzzling his clouded mind. Nothing he thought about _that_ specific incident made any sense. He couldn't connect the dots. A core idea was buzzing in the back of his head. Something he was completely sure of. Macabre and appalling as it should have been, his mind avoided all doubts and erroneous beliefs, and accepted such dreadful memories as if they were real, without even bothering to think through it objectively as he would have done soon any other time of his life.

"…I died."

The words he mumbled to himself were not a simple question he asked to his brain. It wasn't a half-assed plead of confirmation to make sure he was right about what he thought happened, only for someone to prove him wrong.

The pain was real, for he could still feel it even when the blood and the charred meat weren't before him presently. Yet, against all logic, he found himself on a bed, relatively unharmed and alive… but the recollections of that event stood out like a sore thumb inside his consciousness.

He was in bed. He was alive.

So why?

Why did it feel so wrong?

Was he actually losing his mind? Did pondering about his worthlessness so much turned him into an actual madman?

He couldn't make sense of anything.

After what it felt like years, Ayame recalled that the walls, the smell, the bed, everything was alien to the environment of his house. Which meant he wasn't in his house in the first place.

Ayame stared at nothing, lost in thoughts. Except this nothingness, as he perceived it after a few blinks, was a blue wall and his bedroom definitely did not have blue walls.

His right hand fell onto the bed in a lazy manner, as if it had lost its strength all of a sudden. He tried to ignore the heaviness weighting down his muscles, and forced his torso to remain upright. Pushing the shock and bewilderment aside, he began to analyze the unknown surroundings he found himself in.

The bed he was in wasn't exactly big enough to contain the full length of his tall body. His toes were almost sticking out of the bed's edge. Pristine white sheets, well ironed to boot, comfily covered his form. The bed was probably unused given the firmness of the mattress.

His stiffened neck creaked loudly as he turned his head to look around the room. Incredibly polished dark wood was the material for the floor. One could see that it was old wood, but the work done on it made sure it wouldn't rot very easily. There was a nightstand alongside the bed, with only a lamp on top of it. In another corner of the place was a simple wooden drawer, and just close to it was a wardrobe.

The only window was on the left corner of the room. Sunlight peered through it, slowly warming up the calm ambient.

Hung on the walls were pictures. They were fancily framed with some sort of wooden and golden decorations. Even though they were far away for Ayame's tired sight, he could still make out feminine faces on them.

Ayame kept looking, and he noticed something else. The detail that stood out the most was a cross on the wall, just in front of the boy's bed. His vision refocused on it, and his memories took a bit of seconds to recognize the figure. A detailed carving of the Messiah could be seen on it.

Moments passed in silence. Ridiculous idea after ridiculous idea filled his consciousness as he tried his best to explain the why and the how of his presence in that place.

"Where the hell am I…?"

**Click-**

Just as his train of thought was coming to a halt, the only door in the room was opened. His attention was drawn to it. Shyly and very carefully, a person hidden behind the large door slowly pushed it so as to not make too much of a ruckus. The young man watched the movement at it with a mostly indifferent expression for he couldn't muster the strength to frown. His back straightened on his own, tensing at the new arrival.

Black and white clothes emerged from the gap of the open door. Smooth, clean hands grabbed onto the edge of the door, and soon enough, a head peeked from that spot.

Deep blue eyes scanned his form from afar.

Ayame blinked. The person blinked back.

"Oh, it seems you're finally awake, mister," came out the upbeat conclusion from the person. Said person sported a feminine voice, almost a timid whisper, yet still giving out a sense of distant cheerfulness. "Sorry to intrude."

The door fully opened.

It was a woman. A very young woman, slightly older than Ayame, it seemed. A black and white veil of some kind covered her head - a 'habit', if his admittedly poor compendium of such clothing was correct. Wavy brown hair smoothly came out of said veil and followed the form of her body down, adhering to her clearly prominent curves fluidly and correctly. Her eyes, as he had noticed before, were of an entrancing blue color, not especially different from his own. Her body was mostly covered with black robes that did a half-assed job of concealing her gifted shape.

Hanging from her neck was a silver chain and lying on her chest and connected to the same chain was a cross.

…

…

…

A nun?

"I can tell by your face that you seem confused, young man," said the woman to him with a warm smile, seemingly understanding his thoughts with just a good look of his strangely emotionless expression. "Do not worry! You haven't been kidnapped or something as nefarious, although I do admit any reckless lady would want to capture a face as pretty as yours, hahaha!"

He ignored the half-joke, half-flirt. The sheer ridiculousness and impossibility of the situation only became more and more insufferable, as it made the task of understanding anything all the much harder. He tried to blink his tiredness away, and proceeded to voice his questions with a raspy tone.

"Where am I? Who are you?"

Her smile didn't falter. She made a quick bow, one leg hiding behind another and arms linked beneath her chest as she gracefully spelled out her name for him.

"Ichika Koharu, nun extraordinaire and faithful believer at yours and God's service."

She responded with a peaceful voice, her head raising a little as she proceeded to rest her gaze on him. Her matured, tranquil and sweet way of talking didn't quite match the grain of silliness her speech sported. She was reminiscent of a mother happily dialoguing with her child, but not to the point of undermining the child's intelligence with petty and infantilizing wording.

She straightened her back and coughed in her hand. "Now, as I said, you seem to be confused. I will clear any doubt you have, but first, I need you to answer a little inquiry of mine," she stated calmly, both trying to reassure him with and get an answer out of him. "Do you remember what happened to you before you woke here?"

The boy blanked out, taking some moments to digest the question. His gaze diverted to an unimportant direction, trying to gather his wits and deny any knowledge that would come off as unreal. His heart's thumping was still annoyingly loud for some reason.

"No. I don't remember anything."

Seconds went by, and Ichika only remained a silent statue before Ayame's poor answer. He avoided looking at her directly, as he had no composure to hold prolonged eye contact just yet. Her face was pensive, but also somewhat unsatisfied. It didn't last much longer.

"…I see," whispered the woman with a dejected look, which Ayame took as a sign that his pitiful lie had worked. He wanted to believe she had not seen through him. He wanted to believe in a lot of things right now. The laws of the universe that made certain no one could make a magic spear out of nowhere and kill people with it were one of his disintegrating beliefs.

He tried to regain some clarity before speaking. What was this place and how he ended up there were questions he rapidly needed an answer to. At the same time, his exhausted body urged him—almost forcing him—to go back to sleep as soon as possible. But no, no he couldn't do that yet. If this wasn't a nightmare to begin with, there would be no point in sleeping and then waking up again. This was reality and he couldn't escape from it.

"You still didn't answer my other question. Where am I?" he croaked out slowly.

"In a convent, my dear," the nun immediately answered, and he had to do his best not to grimace from how ludicrous that response sounded. "You showed up very late at night in front of our door, all bloody, dirty and tired. You barely had the strength to stand. We—me and a few other sisters—had to help you in. It was quite the gruesome sight!"

Nothing made absolute any sense, not even with such an explanation. If Ayame took his memories to face value, he had a hole blasted through his chest, and his arm was completely torn apart. Lack of oxygen, loss of blood, loss of _organs_, shock… many things could have been the cause of his death, and none seemed to be bad enough to stop him from walking in the middle of the night and miraculously reach a convent, of all places. This was preposterous in all senses of the word.

It was as preposterous as thinking that, perhaps, his brother was also well and alive despite dying, killed by that woman - was Yuuma Amano even a woman or a hideous monster in disguise, actually?

Ayame squared his jaw. He tasted something bitter and blinked rapidly. Stupid people like Issei couldn't die easily. They were too stupid to understand the laws of the universe and die like any other normal beings.

He focused his gaze on the nun.

She was all too careless around him. She and the other 'sisters' she spoke of didn't have qualms about bringing a complete stranger into a convent. Religious people were as kind and compassionate as they were careless and dumb, it appeared. Issei would enjoy their company immensely and perhaps they would teach him to be a better person, or perhaps he would infect them with his own kind of perverted idiocy.

"You didn't even think about calling the police when I arrived here?" he inquired tiredly, his amusement taking an irritated turn although it wasn't on purpose. "That sounds imprudent. Should I be worried about other shady-looking people you decided to bring in out of the kindness of your heart?"

She actually laughed at the boy's remark, and Ayame perceived it as slightly insulting. He was being serious, and even if she wanted to lighten up the mood, the teenager wasn't particularly eager to fake he was doing fine as much as he wanted answers.

"The police was unnecessary, dear. What would have they done? Arrest you? Interrogate you? You meant no harm to us, so calling the authorities wasn't needed. You were just a poor, lost lamb who needed care and attention, like all our guests. We were better suited for the job. In worse conditions, we may have called someone else." She approached with firm and elegant steps while making sure to not get uncomfortably close. "If you have indeed committed a terrible crime that requires police intervention, then it's not in our jurisdiction to judge you. It falls upon you to confess your sins and turn yourself in. Seeing as you can barely move or speak, I take it you're just confused and mistrustful, which I can understand…"

Ichika approached Ayame a bit more. She inclined her body towards him. Her face loomed a bite away from his, a kind and welcoming smile on her lips.

"But, if you try anything against me or the other sisters, then we will call the authorities without a second thought." Her warning was followed by a wink. "While we wait for them to knock on our door to take you away, we will beat you unconscious. I hope it is clear enough, dear."

Having dealt the silliest ultimatum Ayame had the displeasure of listening to, she straightened her position once again as if nothing happened. Upon seeing his baffled expression, she began giggling with a warm lilt. His fuzzy mind, dumbed down by the rapid succession of confusing events, still couldn't grasp at the idea that this Ichika Koharu was… motherly, in a way.

She reminded him of someone. But who, exactly…? She was not different from a young woman interacting and scolding her children, as any other mother would. Yet, something was… off.

Who was she, exactly…?

…

…

…

No, it would be pointless to pursue such baseless thought. This was not the time to listen to preoccupations his subconscious created in the spur of the moment.

"What I do find interesting," Ichika continued speaking so as to get his attention, "is that you weren't injured at all. However, your clothes were absolutely ruined, without mentioning the blood on them. Are you sure you weren't involved in something shady, dear…?"

He sighed, somewhat tired of being asked questions he couldn't give an appropriate explanation to. Some things, he couldn't simply answer. Others, he could answer, accepting he would then be swiftly sent to a mental ward. On top of not being completely sure, he couldn't really say anything about last night's incident. It wasn't anything anyone would comprehensibly believe without labeling him as a madman. "Nothing I can remember, no."

Ichika stroked her chin in thought.

"Hmmm, aren't you one of these kids who go to these late night parties… Eh, how are they called…" she murmured to herself, and then snapped her fingers as her eyes lighted up. "…Orgies, I believe?"

He just opted to remain silent. He locked eyes with her as if to make sure she was joking.

"…No."

Ayame's quick and dry answer was met with more giggles. The nun stuck her tongue out in a playful manner.

"Just kidding, dear. I don't live in a box, and you clearly don't look like one of those street punks I have seen around."

…Even if it was a joke, the boy shivered at the simple thought of it. He couldn't imagine himself participating in such acts, or even have that much of intimate physical contact with anyone. It was simply not within his interests, and the young man reckoned his minimal worth as a human being would plummet to the bottom of the bucket if he decided to let his body do the thinking instead of his mind. Degrading himself to an animal of desire was not an intention of his.

"You sure have a crude humor for a nun," the brunet told her, trying his best to fix his disheveled hair with only one hand. His fingers sent shivers down his spine as they got through his brown locks, pulling his hair.

"And you sure are a special kind of prude for someone so young, dear," she rebutted swiftly. He flinched slightly, and grumbled under his breath. He wasn't in any mood to partake in childish banters with a strange nun.

"As you can see," continued Ichika, "we have lent you some spare clothes. Going around with those rags you were wearing last night would have been outrageous, really. You can keep them, since they're for charity. Though we wouldn't mind if you brought them back someday!"

Ayame's eyes widened a little.

"Wait…" The implications on such phrase perturbed him a little. "Charity clothes? Doesn't that mean you-?"

The woman tilted her head, eyes down with an apologetic expression. She understood his fears as repulsion from the sole idea transformed his face accordingly.

"I'm sorry, dear. You didn't look like you had much energy to do anything. I took it upon myself to take off your previous clothes and change you into something better. Don't worry, I didn't look!"

The boy's eyes bore into her soul as clear disgust twisted his features. He couldn't believe someone actually stripped him off and he wasn't able to do anything about it. Had he been conscious when it happened, no doubt he wouldn't have allowed anyone to touch him.

Suddenly, something made her quirked lips drop a little. "Oh, actually… I completely forgot to ask for your name. Could you grant me the pleasure, my dear?"

He looked away. He debated giving a fake name, then realized there were too many people in his town and he was too much of a ghost for his true name to make him recognizable to a nun that probably spent more time in her convent than outside, gossiping about boys covered in blood coming to her humble abode. "…Ayame."

Ichika clasped her hands together at the mention of his name, mouth agape.

"Ayame… as in, 'Iris'? Like the Iris flower?" she reasoned. A small nod of his head rewarded him with the nun smiling gleefully once again. "That's so cute! But… isn't that a girl's name?"

He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. It wasn't the first time he was asked that annoying question. His parents were waiting for a baby girl as their first child. Apparently, the ultrasounds weren't particularly effective to discover his actual sex. His parents had put their money on a female name, thinking they couldn't lose when they had a fifty percent chance of being right. Of course, they had lost their bet. Seeing a little boy come out after nine months of blessed silence didn't stop them from using that name with him.

"It's none of your business," he finally grumbled out.

He respired heavily for fleeting seconds, his heart throbbing and shaking his entire torso in consequence.

Ayame was growing tired of this whole ordeal. He didn't possess enough energy nor did he care that much about this woman to keep talking with her. There were things he needed to do, and staying in a convent wouldn't solve anything.

But, something bothered him. Surprisingly, it didn't have anything to do with the unnatural circumstances surrounding last night, or the incredibly disconcerting fact that he managed to drag himself to this place. As a cold breeze coming from the gaps of the window entered the room, he noticed the absence of warmth around his neck. Noticing such subtlety, which was, all in all, a fatal absence of the gravest kind, he looked down his body.

The shirt he was wearing was different from before. His pants, baggy and a little discolored were also different. These weren't the clothes he was wearing before. There weren't even his clothes, as Ichika had clearly pointed out before.

A lump got caught in his throat.

Cold sweat ran down his cheeks.

He slowly turned his head around to stare at the nun.

"Where are my old clothes?" he sinisterly grinded out. His hand went too his neck, useless trying to provide warmth. His digits felt unbearably cold against his thumping carotid.

Ichika shifted. She tilted her head in thought. "Oh, those? They were ruined, so we didn't think you would need them anymore-"

Every bodily function he had to assess things logically stopped. Blindness took over his sight. He moved reactively. A strong grip squashed the nun's wrist. Ayame's right hand applied unwarranted pressure on the poor woman's arm as he grabbed her out of nowhere, bringing her closer.

"Ouch… what are you doing…?"

Ichika's eyes met Ayame's again. She didn't react quickly, but surely enough, once she did, it was clear she was frightened.

His eyes, sharp and filled with enmity, glared at her. It was barely held back anger, one ready to make the boy in front of her lose all his remaining rational judgment. A wrong word and it wouldn't have been surprise for him to do something drastic.

"I'll change my question, and I hope you can give me an answer that satisfies me," he enunciated slowly. "Amongst my clothes, there was a scarf - a black scarf, with some golden. Where is it now?"

Either because of fear or intolerance to the mild pain Ayame's hand was causing, Ichika stammered an answer right away.

"W-We didn't throw away your clothes, yet. We figured you would still need your boots if you decided to go home, and your scarf didn't seem particularly ruined. I could fetch them for you…"

Anger faded. Exhaustion returned. The furious person that for a moment seemed about to snap became the tired, unresponsive teenager from before. And just like that, he let go of her. His body went limp against the headboard of the bed he occupied.

"I would like that, yes," he murmured. He offered no excuse for his demeanor.

The white linen that made a makeshift curtain for the window rustled with the wind. Ayame focused on the soft movement.

Ichika shifted gently, producing a rustle akin to the one that emanated from the curtains with her long skirt.

Ayame didn't turn back to look at her. He understood his actions had just labeled him as a dangerous individual or at least, as a choleric one. He didn't care.

The atmosphere had gotten uncomfortable. But between gaining a person's approval and regaining his precious scarf, it was clear to him what his priorities were. And if he had to get a little rough to do it, so be it. He needed it back at all costs, and Ayame wasn't about to ask nicely for something that should have been glued to his neck.

Ichika finally let out a long exhale. "Oof… You got a little scary back there, dear. Try to not do that again, else we actually call the police, hahaha…"

It had the benefit of trying to be a joke to ease up the broken mood, but it was to no avail. At least she was taking it lightly.

Ayame glanced at her form the corner of his eyes. "Whatever. Just bring me back my things and we're done here."

"Yeah, yeah, oh young master."

Rustles indicated that she had finally left his bedside. Ayame was left to his own thoughts. More and more questions kept popping up inside of his mind, and the more he tried to understand his ordeal, the less he actually did. Not to mention that the entire situation was outside the boundaries of his own comprehension.

The only thing that felt real was the lack of warmth around his neck and the dancing movements of the curtains.

The best option would have been his house – he couldn't stay in a place that wasn't his own much longer. He really needed some safe space to think in peace.

After five minutes or so, the nun reappeared in the room. With two fingers, she held the boots Ayame had been wearing. They were indeed stained with what he thought was blood. The stains were not crimson anymore. They were a dark brown. His attention was taken away from how he would explain the stains to his mother by the object the nun held in other hand. It was a piece of cloth black as night. His precious, precious scarf. Ayame observed it like an eagle would to its prey.

Wordlessly, the woman left the boots at the bed's feet. Then, she extended the scarf towards Ayame.

The boy snatched it without a second thought, almost yanking Ichika towards him with it. He stared at it silently.

"…Hahaha, that's a silly reaction. Do you like that scarf so much, dear?" She questioned innocently.

He didn't respond right away. His eyes visibly softened as he looked at it, though his expressionless face was still present. Yes. No. It was precious. There were not a lot of things that were precious in his life. He needed to cherish the things that truly had any valor.

Ayame swung it over his nape, and tied it around his neck in less quickly.

"It's nothing you should be concerned about," he said, showing his unwillingness to say more about the matter. He had no answer to offer anyway. What did people overcomplicate things so much? His scarf was important and that was all.

She hummed in response. "I suppose it is something personal for you, so I won't push. Oh, these are your keys. We found them in your pants."

He seized said keys too, although not as violently as he did with his scarf.

Walking back to the door, she glanced at him.

"Do you need anything else? I wouldn't recommend you to go home just yet. You still look… How do I say it… fatigued?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'll do whatever I want. As far as I'm concerned, your usefulness ended when you gave me my possessions."

It was a definite, cutting answer. Ichika wasn't needed anymore. Her eyes visibly saddened upon hearing him speak of her like that. Ayame, of course, couldn't care less about a random person's feelings when he had his own repertoire of problems that needed immediate solving for his peace of mind.

"If that is your wish, dear Ayame…"

Upon murmuring that, she simply left.

He stared at the door for a prolonged amount of seconds, expecting no one else would enter. Once he was completely sure, he started to move.

Putting up his boots was hard, given that one of his arms was disabled for some reason. While the numbness of his body made the action all the more uncomfortable, he managed to finally do it.

After stumbling a little like a clumsy drunkard, he maintained a firm footing on the ground. Instead of going through the door, he looked behind him.

The window didn't seem locked. He could easily open it and go away. It was wide enough for his shoulders to go through it. It was tall enough that he wouldn't have to crawl or crash on the ground afterwards.

Ayame hesitated. He could go out this way. He could also use a door like a normal human being. He wasn't Issei who preferred to hang out around keyholes and badly covered windows to peep. He had never attempted to leave anywhere through a window. However…

"…All things considered, I would prefer to not stumble on anyone right now. I have a bad feeling about just leaving normally."

He had 'died' the night before. Using such means to go unnoticed couldn't be weirder than that. No one would care if a teenager that appeared at anyone's door last night suddenly disappeared.

So, after a bit of struggle and fiddling with one hand, he opened the window and left the premise.

* * *

**\- ~DxD~ -**

Jumping over the fence of the convent had proven to be a somewhat difficult task, but nothing some effort couldn't fix. Nobody took notice of him.

His body didn't take the morning stroll very kindly, protesting at every opportunity when anything that remotely grazed his skin made him shiver with momentary bursts of pain. If the cold winds that blew up every now and then didn't send chills all over his form, the warm sun rising over the horizon helped him develop a brief but nasty headache for as long as light hit him. It wouldn't have been far-fetched to claim he had a fever, but again, this was no normal situation at all.

Despite his sense of direction being hindered by the exhaustion, he managed to find his way throughout Kuoh. He was lucky it was still early in the morning, as most of the city's population was still sleeping and comfy in their beds. Having anyone find his tired and drained corpse marching across the streets would have been a pointless occurrence, to say the least.

Sooner or later, his feet dragged him into the residential areas his routine had gotten him so accustomed to. Many of the houses looked mostly similar, a sense of lackluster and insipidity emanating from such suburban order. Fortunately enough, there was always a plaque on the front of the establishments with the name of the family living in them. He found his sooner or later, after probing a little and forcing his eyesight to do more than just recognize hazy forms.

He approached the entrance of his home, not especially interested in making neither his presence nor actions go inconspicuous. The keys, clinking together as Ayame took them out of his pocket, were carefully divided one from each other. He found the one he needed by feeling alone. One, two, three times the small piece of metal tapped against the flat of the door, until Ayame steadied his grip and found the keyhole.

The teenager didn't do as much as fit the key inside and turn the doorknob. Immediately after, the sound of rapid footsteps approaching were heard coming from inside. His long legs would have jumped a few steps away in warning, had he been a less fatigued soul to notice.

**BAM!**

He didn't have nearly enough reaction to understand what happened. Ayame was thrown backwards a little as the door opened on his face. He stumbled a bit, and before he had time to make any questions, two arms wrapped around his neck.

"Ayame! My baby boy… Where have you been?!"

The young man was pulled into a hug for a considerable amount of seconds. Energy to deny the gesture and strength to push away the other person were things his body and mind didn't possess. Glassy blue eyes that belonged to his mother blinked and beheld Ayame's defaced appearance upon breaking the embrace.

"Where have you been, Ayame?" repeated Nozomi Hyoudou, holding back tears and voice doing its best to not crack down. "I called you a million times and you never answered your phone. You didn't take it with you again, is that it? You scared the world out of me, young man! Going out an entire night and not telling me where you are! How do you think I would have felt if something happened to you?"

…By the looks of it, he hadn't been out for more than a day. He wasn't one to simply disappear without giving explanations, so a preoccupied mother was the nicest of any other result he could have found on his way back home. His mind did consider the idea of finding a butchered family inside, if Issei's freakish girlfriend and her horrific threats were to be taken too seriously.

"…I had a sleepover with a friend," he answered right away and with the most deadpan tone of voice possible. He lacked the ability to make his lies specially convincing, given his non-caring attitude regarding the opinion of others. Such disability wasn't useful now.

His mother's sad face changed into a confused one. It was to be expected. 'Ayame Hyoudou' and 'friends' weren't words anyone put together in the same phrase, unless it was a tasteless joke or a fictional story with a character conveniently named Ayame put in it.

"A…friend?" she questioned him after letting go of his shoulders, signaling him to come inside with her wringing hands. He did so while avoiding her attentive gaze observing him. "…But you didn't tell me anything about a sleepover. And who is this friend, Ayame?"

The boy went inside and took off his footwear at the entrance. Ayame did his best to hide the bloodstains on his boots from view. He swallowed a lump before responding, careful to form a speech inside his mind before speaking it out loud.

"…His name is... Himejima. Akeno Himejima. He's more of an acquaintance from school, in truth, and the sleepover was a last minute decision. Since I never had one before, I didn't think it would be much of a problem. It was just a… new experience."

Akeno was the first name that came to mind. But, of course, he _couldn't_ tell his mother that she was actually a woman, and that there was no sleepover in the first place. If she asked more questions, he would be found out. Fortunately enough, he was sure he would never need to invite Akeno inside his home.

It was a terribly stupid lie, very poorly thought. However, he was tired and had other priorities at hand. He couldn't waste time arguing with his mother about his 'improvised outing'.

"I did forget to take my phone with me, but I assure you, it was fine. I slept well and managed to come back before school," Ayame assured one last time. It was the cherry on top of a cake of deception, and the brunet hoped she ate it with gusto despite its particularly misleading taste.

Nozomi closed the door and started massaging her temples.

"…Ok, ok. It seems you are fine. But don't ever do that to me again mister, understood?" warned the woman with lingering frustration, her indignation subsiding as she cooled off. "I couldn't even sleep through the night without getting worried about you. And your father was all like 'let him do what he wants. He's a young adult and one or two nights away won't make a difference'. Honestly, that man is so carefree sometimes…"

Ayame nodded in response, trying to give his mother some semblance of mental tranquility at the idea he wouldn't disappear again. She wasn't a particularly overprotective woman. He just needed to refrain from giving her reasons to doubt him in the first place, and he did pretty well in that department. The stupidities any other teenager was naturally inclined to commit, he didn't enjoy.

However, something else caught his attention. There was a particular lack of preoccupation from his mother for another element that wasn't Ayame himself. His curiosity spoke for him before he could actually think about the matter deeply.

"What about Issei?" Ayame inquired while maintaining an indifferent façade. "I'm not the only one who broke the home's unofficial curfew."

Ayame had a great deal of trust in his memory, and for better or worse, he remembered from the most inane things to the far more important matters with great detail. The sound of flesh violently tearing apart and the image of Issei's impaled body were all to present within his consciousness. The vivid nightmare of his younger sibling vomiting blood and falling to the ground lifelessly weren't things to be forgotten from a day to another.

"Issei?" Nozomi intoned the name, and the lack of change in her expression was enough response before her speech continued. "Your brother hasn't set foot outside the house in the whole weekend, son. He's still asleep."

Perhaps his surprise was too contained for his emotionless show of trepidation to be considered normal.

"…Are you sure of that?"

She cupped her chin in thought, almost as if she was not sure how to respond.

"I… I think?" she responded with another question, which confused him further. His mother had claimed that Issei hadn't gone out moments ago, yet now she was unsure of her own response. "I mean, I haven't seen him go out at all. I'm sure of it…"

The boy could see she was not lying, or at least, not purposefully. Her eyes were looking to the sides, as if she wasn't privy of the answer to an obvious question.

The situation was getting stranger and stranger. But there was only one way of knowing for sure.

"Let's see if I was the only one who went out, then," he stated. Not wasting more seconds than needed, he steadily began stalking throughout the house with a tense posture and walked upstairs. His mother followed behind with rapid steps.

"Eh… W-Wait a second, Ayame. I'm going too."

Sooner than later, they reached the door to Issei's room.

He didn't know what else to expect at this point. Issei could be inside of his room, sleeping and dreaming about women like the lecherous idiot he was. The probability of not finding him there was also present. One way or another, Ayame was exceedingly sure this situation wasn't ordinary at all. He had to know.

His left arm was still paralyzed. He moved the right one instead, and grabbed the doorknob with a shaky grip. A clicking sound was produced as he unlocked the wooden obstacle that separated him from the truth.

Dim light from the hallway forced its way into the dark room. It didn't manage to illuminate enough for the teenager and his mother to see clearly. The brunet quickly started tracing with his fingers along the wall, and found the light switch. He flicked it-

"Wake up, Issei."

**Click-**

"Kyaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

…And soon enough, a much exaggerated scream powerfully echoed from the far end of the room. An annoying ringing buzzed in Ayame's head, one of his eyes involuntarily twitching in response. Seconds after brushing it off as a mild pain, he opted to observe the ridiculousness his seemingly unsuspecting action caused.

From the only bed in the room, a being squirmed and trashed around desperately beneath varied and colorful covers. He mumbled incoherent threats and then ridiculously sad pleads Ayame had the misfortune of listening to.

"…I-I swear girls, I wasn't trying to peek on you! Don't kill me!"

The human Ayame unmistakably recognized as his younger brother, Issei Hyoudou, escaped from the non-lethal hold of his own messily put and sparse blankets.

On top of that…

"Issei! Put on some clothes, dear!"

Issei, inexplicably enough, wasn't wearing anything on top. His exposed chest, not very muscular or toned for that matter, was for all to see. By the looks of it, even though the covers were still on him, he wasn't wearing anything beneath them either. Issei had a long list of mind-boggling perversions, but sleeping naked didn't appear to be one of them. The start of a new trauma was barely hidden with crumpled sheets and Ayame was beginning to regret his apparent coming back from death to witness such horror.

"Eh…?" he said while looking down at his body. He actually blushed. "Wh-What the hell…"

Their mother shook her head exasperatedly, and put her hands on her hips. "Issei, you know I would never judge you for any guilty pleasure you have, but try to be careful in the way you walk around. Someone may enter in your room and see things they don't want to see without meaning to!"

He blushed even more furiously and babbled, further ashamed by his mother's embarrassing reproaches. He composed himself. "B-But I don't remember sleeping naked… And besides, this is my room! You're supposed to knock before invading my privacy, mom!"

Even though his reply was bold, a slight blush was on his cheeks. It seemed that even the failure of a Harem King could be embarrassed about something, in the end. Maybe his dormant human virtues were finally modifying his consciousness for the better.

Nozomi sighed one last time. "Ah, geez… Just get dressed, kiddo. You too, Ayame. You both have to go to school, and I think we all have experienced enough weirdness for one morning."

The woman disappeared from sight moments later. The older brother watched her go away. An uncomfortable silence settled firmly after.

Ayame turned his head and stared at Issei's form. He pointedly tried to analyze his body, searching for any possible clue that sold him out as an impostor. Unnervingly enough, he didn't find any. There wasn't blood, or a hole in his stomach. He wasn't injured at all. This was a bona fide impression of Issei Hyoudou if Ayame had ever seen one before, and most probably, most darkly, this was actually the real Issei.

The younger teenager stared back at him disinterestedly as he scratched his hair.

"Good morning to you too, bro," he said sarcastically. "It's heartwarming you decided to wake me up before I did, but… I kind of need to get dressed and all? I would really want to talk, but… **yawn**… I'm tired."

"I can see that," simply responded Ayame. After going over the situation in his mind again and again, he decided to be direct and ask. "Issei… Do you remember what happened yesterday?"

"Uh? Well, didn't you know already?" he responded, a little puzzled. "I went on a date with Yuuma and… and I… eh…"

He cut his sentence midway. At first, there was an unsure look in his eyes. As if he, like his mother, was trying to remember something that should have been obvious. Issei's pupils contracted for a brief moment, reaction that didn't go unnoticed to the other brunet. Rapidly, a sudden smile covered it up.

"…Eh, you know what, it's not that exciting anyway," Issei continued naturally afterwards. "We just did some stuff, parted ways and… that's it!"

Ayame was aware of his brother's mannerisms. In any other situation, Issei would be telling him all of the good things and superfluous experiences he went through in his first date with a breathing, thinking female ever in life. This was openly different. The thought of a girlfriend was, and has always been, a source of happiness for him.

And now, he just pushed it aside as if it was nothing.

Or… not nothing, exactly. Maybe it was the opposite. Maybe, it was so important, so surreal, that Issei just wasn't able to put it into words the moment Ayame asked him.

It was no definite answer, or evidence. But Ayame trusted his instincts. For some reason, he had the feeling Yuuma Amano was a shady individual. Right now, he felt he wasn't so far from uncovering what really happened.

"Fine, then." Ayame turned around. "Make haste and get ready for school."

"Yeah, whatever you say, big sis."

The blue-eyed teenager left his not-dead brother alone.

Nobody seemed to remember the crucial parts of the last Sunday. Their mother didn't seem to really remember her children's whereabouts as they happened. Issei wasn't essentially convincing in his dispassionate description of that fateful date, which did happen as a matter of fact as it came from his own mouth. Ayame himself had doubts regarding his gruesome death, and the fictitious elements surrounding it.

The teenager had some time to ponder about what happened to him before school would call them with its dull bells.

Yuuma Amano – that strange creature that firstly posed as a young, innocent high school girl. She wasn't human at all. The things she did weren't some sort of cheap magic trick, some kind of illusion. They didn't appear to be at all. He felt them with his own flesh; saw them with his perfectly working eyes. Things like her giant, shadowy wings, fluttering and moving like real appendages, which bended the wind to their will; those spear-shaped lights, capable of cutting through tissue and bone as if it was a hot knife cleanly slicing through butter.

Unreal as it seemed, those weren't the doings of humans at all.

A feeling that could only be described as grim amusement swelled up inside of his chest. He wasn't exactly confused anymore. He was just skeptical. Skeptical about the situation and the way everything remained so normal when Ayame had the firm belief that it wasn't. There was no way of knowing if he actually died or if everything that led to his death was real. Not now, at least.

It was intriguing; almost imaginary, even. However, and above all, it was… attractive.

It would have been easier to say he was, for all intents and purposes, completely insane. That all of the things he experienced were just incredibly realistic hallucinations, product of his dysfunctional mind. That all the types of pain he suffered were the mere figments of a madman's imagination. That he could simply go back home and act as if nothing happened. What was stopping him now, anyway?

But he knew better. Even without having full knowledge of this bizarre situation, to think everything was just a nightmare was a most disappointing conclusion he didn't even want to acknowledge as possible.

Deep inside and putting aside his memories and the objective proof, he strongly biased himself towards the thought that everything had been indeed real. He almost desired it to be, like a child blowing out the candles of his birthday cake and wishing for a miracle.

At some point—maybe a few years ago, maybe a few seconds ago—, he realized how cold his body had become.

During a significant fragment of his life, he felt frigid, unmoved by the world around him. Nothing was enough to push him to do something out of his norm. It was a coldness that didn't just stop at the physical aspect of it. He was almost freezing up inside, slowly dying, inaction turning him into a statue of ice, human-like on the surface only. His thoughts lost shape and form. His subjectivity lost strength. His drive was null, for he had no motivations or greater objectives to serve as an internal anchor for his emotions to develop and push him forward.

But this was different. This was stirring up something inside of him.

And, if only, all of it was real…

…

…

…

It would have been better if he didn't jump into conclusions right away, though.

Dead or not, crazy or not, going to school was still his obligation.

* * *

**\- ~DxD~ -**

The generally annoying environment of Ayame's school was more bearable than usual. Unfortunately, it wasn't because the students of Kuoh Academy had suddenly learned about common decency or maturity. That was another utopic dream he wished with all of his being was real, yet in contrast with another certain matter, he had the assurance it would never come true.

Ayame didn't pay much attention to other people, as always. However, his focus was entirely aimed, for the first time in a while, in something that was neither boring nor exactly repetitive. It surely wasn't the first time in his life, as he had been an impressionable child once. However, it did feel like the beginning of an experience that was mostly alien to his person, not unlike a soldier disembarking in foreign lands to fight an unknown enemy.

He went around the problem again and again, thinking about possible explanations, and for what kind of reason he could be involved in it.

Yuuma mentioned something – A 'Sacred Gear'. From the looks of it, it was something dangerous, but she didn't specify if it was for him or her. The boy wasn't exactly sure what a Sacred Gear was. She did say that it was _inside _of him, so maybe… it wasn't something specifically material. The girl manipulated some kind of energy, of power, so the possibility wasn't particularly far-fetched.

Whatever a Sacred Gear was, Ayame had it, and with it, he also had a target on his head. If a monster such as that girl had enough reason to kill a boring human like him, just because he _may_ have had a Sacred Gear, then it wouldn't be weird if others like her came after him.

She did say that humans were worms that existed only for 'their' entertainment, which meant Yuuma couldn't be the only one with wings living in Kuoh.

That notion was reinforced when the girl said that she got orders to kill them, both him and his brother. Someone was calling the shots, and it seemed it wasn't her.

Quite incompetently, that's all he could come up with.

Without a better understanding of the context of this situation, Ayame could only do so much. He wanted to believe he was intelligent enough to come up with acceptable conclusions about anything like any other human being with half a brain, but his wits had limits.

He avoided bumping into other students as he stepped inside the academy with second-nature movements. He took ahold of his scarf as he dived inside of his mind, entranced with the possible courses of action he could take.

'_I could just wait to see if Yuuma actually shows up again…'_ But that would be dangerous. If she was the monster he remembered her to be, then he wouldn't have any means of defending himself. _'…Or maybe I should search for information about her actively. Sitting around doing nothing isn't going to satisfy me. Yet, there's still the matter about what to do once I find out what's happening…'_

Curiously enough, he couldn't finish conducting his absentminded stroll before he felt something that made his skin crawl. It was like being stared at from afar by a wild beast, hidden and ready to pounce and bite his head off from his body when he least expected it.

…Such feeling wasn't much different from the feeling that Yuuma Amano exhibited so naturally, so mysteriously. Nonetheless, it was more ominous, more aggressive, and more vibrant. At the same time, he distantly recognized it as a familiar presence. A familiar presence that once presented itself as dignified and well-mannered, and now it was a barely contained, invisible cloud of rage that threatened to swallow him whole and make him disappear.

It took him a moment to realize it. It was too late when a hand fell upon his shoulder, not even squeezing it a lot. Yet, he felt as if a chunk of heavy metal fell upon his body and started crushing him down into an unrecognizable human paste.

"Good morning," greeted a composed feminine voice he had almost forgotten. "Would you mind coming with me for a second?"

Ayame spun towards the source of that voice. Red hair and emerald eyes were enough for him to remember the name, and surely enough, more things began to make sense.

Rias Gremory had a stern expression. Not serious, but certainly not relaxed. Her lips were pursed. Her look, a piercing glare disguised under the banner of a mere judging stare from a peer, perforated into his body. He didn't expect to find her at all, in one of the most inconvenient mornings of his life. He also didn't expect to die at the hands of a monster instead of his own, but as he surely understood one night before, seemingly anything could happen in life.

"…Gremory," the boy intoned with monotony to acknowledge her. "What do you want? I don't have time for you or whatever you want to say to me-"

"On the contrary, Hyoudou-san, I'm not giving you an option." Her voice had strangely echoed within his ears and brain, sending shivers throughout his body. It was menacing, but not overwhelmingly oppressive as a part of his consciousness mistakenly believed it to be.

Rias was doing anything, except joking around. Her image was overlapped with another high school girl's asking him for romantic advice, and his mind began to spell 'death' continuously in response. This was not a simple robbery with a gun being pressed against his head, or a knife softly puncturing his skin. Ironically enough, he would have preferred those particular dangers and would have remained uncaring in the face them either way. Right now, he was a statue of ice in a burning desert.

If anything, it wasn't anything invented by men that would kill him. Ayame would first disappear, turn into nothing but a cold puddle of meaninglessness before the strength of a force of nature, which gravely surpassed his puny understanding, not to talk about his nonexistent strength to fight against it.

"Now," she spoke again, "follow me. I want to talk with you for a second."

The brunet complied wordlessly. He already suffered the consequences of not caring about the obvious signals of danger, lethal danger. Although failure was but a lesser annoyance, he wasn't going to commit the same mistake twice and die like ignorant cattle.

Silently, Rias walked forward, while Ayame followed behind in similar manner. Other people walking in the hallway turned their heads to stare in awe at the sight of the redhead. However, she didn't seem to care about them in the slightest. They didn't notice his form either. Like her shadow, he only followed and almost mimicked her gallant walk, doing his best to not be showered with the curious stares of physically grown-up children.

For someone so famous in school, the boy was expecting her to follow the usual routine of walking and smiling like the celebrity everyone thought she was, but no. She seemed strangely calm, and that refusal to put up a simple front didn't give him any reassurance in the slightest.

She led him outside of the school building, to a secluded place. He didn't ask nor complained about it. He could have easily made an excuse for his lateness to the class later on.

With no students around, and just the sounds of nature of a spring day accompanying them, she finally stopped.

The young woman turned around, hands limp yet strangely tense. Ayame didn't make any sudden action, unwilling to appear nervous or reckless in front of her.

When the sole action of breathing became unbearable and almost unneeded for him, Ayame voiced his thoughts outwardly.

"What do you want, now? I'm sure you haven't taken me outside just to talk about life or wish me a good morning."

Moments passed. Rias closed her eyes in thought.

The ambient was tranquil. So tranquil, in fact, that Ayame hadn't realized he had been forcibly rammed against the wall behind him until seconds after it happened. Not only Rias had suddenly closed a distance of a few meters in a minimal span of a couple seconds without alerting him, almost like a mirage, but she also managed to overpower him with a single, even elegant push.

She put a hand on his chest, restraining his repertoire of movement.

"…Honestly, I really dislike this kind of brutish approach. I prefer civil conversations and fair agreements, but after yesterday's incident, I'm not in a good mood to offer anyone much of a choice."

Rias put her other hand close to his stomach.

Before he could even speak, he saw firsthand the vivid manifestation of certain death.

A shining black-red orb, big as a marble, appeared from nowhere. It floated, between Rias' hand and Ayame himself. If his mind had been whispering the word 'death' in his ear moments ago, now it was painting it with bloody red color on his eyeballs to make sure he didn't miss its macabre meaning. Death was just centimeters away from him. If that _thing_ touched him, if it barely caressed a little string sticking out from his clothes, the boy almost definitely believed it would kill him.

No. 'Kill him' was a sweet, childish, chaste way to describe what would happen. It wouldn't just kill him and turn his body into a corpse. It would wholly, absolutely annihilate him and any trace of his person he had ever left on that planet. He would permanently cease to be anything, even in people's memories, and that would have been a sweet thought if he was specially set on not dying right now.

"I'll cut to the chase. Ayame Hyoudou is dead. I saw his corpse yesterday." Her bold, intense statement was met with absolute silence from the aforementioned dead teenager. "I knew he couldn't be saved, despite any effort I put into doing it. Yet, he's standing here right now, before me."

The orb grew, little by little. It couldn't be bigger than the girl's hand. Yet, its weight was surely greater than her hand, and his microscopic existence for that matter.

"So please do tell, who are you? And also say if you may, _what_ you are," she questioned with a voice that didn't leave room for discrepancies. "Your answer will determine whether you live or not, and I would prefer to not have another body on my hands, even if that means protecting this school and its students from an unknown enemy."

His deep blue eyes didn't flinch. His face didn't show any sign of perturbation at the clear threat.

His mind and body were almost disconnected. Whereas his flesh carcass failed to inspire any sense of hurry or fear, his mind was on overdrive.

He forgot how thrill, and fear, and excitement felt. He forgot how anything felt. He forgot how to feel. But deep inside, those weren't unknown concepts to him. He had experienced them once. Now that they started manifesting, much like when one begins an important project of any kind, they wouldn't stop.

So be it. This was what he wanted. The loud thumping of his heart gave proof that he was still there to face it. The numbness inside of his mind was proof that he needed to face it.

The creeping smile on his face confirmed his intentions, an unspoken challenge in front of the inevitable.

He hit the Jackpot. He would have been damned and should have deserved to die in the spot, without anyone ever remembering or caring about his pathetic life, if he didn't take advantage of the great opportunity that now lay before him.

This was actually going to be fun.

* * *

**~Author's Note~**

And that's it for today.

One quick thing I wanted to clarify, is that I wouldn't recommend my readers to jump into conclusions very quickly. While I appreciate the effort, please keep in mind that I'm trying to deviate from the norm and do something that _may_ be different. Until that happens, I want you to not be stuck in just one idea! Anything you have in mind, as long as it makes sense within the context of this work, is gladly accepted.

For that reason, please review! I always take in account what my readers say, and while I do admit I take my time to answer, that doesn't mean I don't pay attention to them.

That's it for today. Be ready for more later on!

**(8/12/2019)**


	3. Revelation

**Phase 1 – Gula**

**Chapter 2 – Revelation**

* * *

Ayame pointedly stared at the girl in front of him. She stared back at him with palpable hostility. Unmoved blue eyes met brilliant emerald eyes that beautifully gleamed with the inharmonious light of death. It wouldn't have been too strange to say she had control over his life. If she so desired, she could definitely crush him like a bug and end his existence.

"So please do tell, who are you? And also say if you may, _what_ you are."

Rias' voice was commanding, bold. She demanded answers from him while knowing that she had the capability to threaten him. Her calmness spoke of confidence in getting the results she wanted. This wasn't so much of a simple discussion between equals, as much as it was a King deciding whether or not her lowly subject was worthy of keeping his head attached to his shoulders or have it rolling on the ground for his misdeeds.

A myriad of thoughts flashed across the boy's mind amidst the heated situation. But one was especially prominent.

Rias claimed, without hesitation or vacillation of any kind, that Ayame was indeed dead. It was a waste of time to write it off as a simple coincidence, or a prank too cruel and premeditated to be true. Although Ayame had absolutely no recollection of Rias' presence the moment he died, his own memories were already a good base to conclude he was murdered. Besides, the power she confidently commanded and which could easily terminate him wasn't much different from Yuuma's. No… if anything, it was even more dangerous. Every fiber of his body tensed up before imminent demise.

Standing between the sword and the wall, the brunet had enough mental lucidity to formulate a number of questions of his own. However, he was in no position of authority or power to demand answers from anyone.

He wasn't in a hurry.

Admittedly, he still failed to completely understand the situation he found himself in. But that was a most unimportant issue. His desire for something interesting to happen and violently disturb the stalled repetition of disgusting worldliness that plagued his life was granted. This was a wonderful opportunity. To waste it, to not take advantage of it, was a heinous sin that deserved the death Rias was capable of bestowing a thousand times over.

This was what he wanted. The loud thumping of his heart gave proof that he was still there to face it. The numbness inside of his mind was proof that he needed to face it.

This was going to be fun.

"What's so funny?"

Rias' question came out with a slightly frustrated tone after seconds of silent staring. Funnily enough did Ayame notice moments later what she meant.

The teenager became aware of his unconscious action. He, who always remained unexpressive and wore a neutral frown, inexplicably began smiling. He wasn't a stranger to smiling. However, to smile because he actually felt happy or satisfied was but a contextual falsehood. Ayame had no reason to be happy about anything at all. Henceforth, there were no genuine reasons to smile.

Still, to smile now of all times… it seemed he was able to become excited in the end. It was a surprise, but a welcome one. He still couldn't fully comprehend what he was feeling as of presently, but the only way of discovering it was to rush through this absurd situation.

"…Nothing's funny. I didn't mean anything by this," he assured, smug manifestation of his rising engrossment vanishing into emotionless neutrality once again. "Your statements are true. I died. However, I have no knowledge of how I was able to survive if that's what you're interested in. I'm the real Ayame."

Only an idiot would miss the mild surprise on Rias' upon listening to his direct response. Her suspicions about him were becoming more and more prominent, and his sense of danger was burning red at this point. One misstep, one incorrect answer, one nervous blink of the eye, and he would die.

She closed her eyes in thought.

"Very well. Start telling me about yourself."

Ayame gulped. At least she was reasonable enough to allow him some semblance of defense at gunpoint. The brunet needed to hold back the tongue that lashed out at people and things he didn't like, and only speak the just and necessary amount to avoid a bloody end. As much as he disliked being threatened like a rabid dog, voicing such disfavor was uncalled for right now.

His mind organized the most immediate facts that only his person and close relatives would know. Preparing a boring monologue wasn't a much complicated task, and he didn't have any reason to lie either way.

"My name is Ayame Hyoudou. I was born on September 21, and I will be eighteen years old later on this year. I'm the older brother of Issei Hyoudou, and underclassman, by one year. My blood type is A-negative. I'm 1,80 meters tall, and I weight around seventy-one kilograms. My parents are Nozomi and Haruto Hyoudou. My father works as a teacher, and my mother is in the police force."

A pause; the girl's eyes were still closed, and there was no change in her expression. It seemed she hadn't been convinced yet.

The brunet gulped, knowing he wasn't safe yet. He didn't want to reveal too much about himself, but adding actual personality to his explanation was a must from the very beginning. He steeled himself and continued.

"My brother is an unfixable pervert with barely any redeeming qualities. His IQ is far below average, and while he doesn't mean any harm to others, he's far too gone into his own lust to notice how annoying he is sometimes." Rias couldn't suppress a wince, which the boy noticed. "The only thing we have in common is that we don't have a girlfriend. Issei can't get a girlfriend, and I don't want one."

His speech came to a standstill. Although he was in danger, spelling out the emotive story of his worthless life didn't seem as a good option to ensure his safety, not to mention he didn't feel comfortable enough to speak about personal matters. However, he could make some exceptions…

"On the other side of the spectrum, I have no friends or hobbies, and barely speak with other people, not to mention I would rather spend more time sleeping that being awake if I could. While my incompetence in prolonged social interactions is glaringly patent, I'm not interested in building interpersonal relationships that aren't absolute necessary."

His concentration spent on talking rendered him unable to pay attention to Rias. The sphere of dangerous power she held close to his person subsided over time, until it was nothing but a small black distortion in space. He closed his lips shut, waiting for her to continue.

Then, after seemingly contemplating his innocence for the longest seconds of their life, she spoke again.

"…In your defense, you didn't appear physically nervous, and your heartbeat was mostly steady the entire time," she stated, not taking off her hand from his chest. "However, I'm not the one who will decide the outcome of this situation."

Rias finally opened her eyes, and looked to the right side. Ayame did the same reactively.

"You can come out now," ordered the redhead.

A couple of footsteps were heard, and effectively, from a corner of the building they were close to, another figure Ayame knew all too well appeared.

Raven hair and violet eyes. Akeno Himejima walked towards them with arms crossed and a calm aspect. Her ever-present smile was nowhere to be seen, although she was far from shaken or excited.

Ayame's eyes scrunched as he understood the implications of her presence. She had been there since the beginning of the interrogation, spying. It was most probably premeditated from Rias' part.

"Why am I not surprised?" he sarcastically commented. "So, what's the point of this at all? Why are you two ganging up against me?"

Rias locked eyes with him again, her face perfectly composed and stern. "Simply put, I have no way of knowing if you're the real Ayame or not. That's why I brought Akeno, because she already knows your mannerisms, and that makes her a trustable third party. However, I needed to see how you fared under pressure before giving you the benefit of doubt."

"Indeed," agreed the other girl. "If you were a fake, you would have probably recognized Rias as a 'Gremory' the moment you saw her. As you can see, she's not your normal high school girl."

…The pieces of the puzzle soundly clicked inside his mind. The boy was shocked with the fact that Rias was another magical freak, but his knowledge didn't go farther than that. If he had been directly related or involved with this shady business, Ayame would have had such knowledge beforehand.

"So," continued Rias again, "tell me Akeno. Is this person the same Ayame you have been talking with lately? Does anything seem off to you?"

The raven-haired pest stroked her chin, pensively staring at an unimportant direction. It didn't ease his worries in the slightest, as she seemed to be passively goofing around rather than thinking hardly enough about his genuine innocence. Maybe, just maybe, it only was his mistrust of her that painted her with a negative light.

His life was in the hands of Akeno, as if that wasn't ironic enough. It also didn't help he would have preferred for her to deem him as an impostor. God knows how humiliating it would have been to be saved by her of all people.

Dying a second time wasn't appealing enough, much to his ego's detriment. Swallowing any kind of shame he had, Ayame waited for his unconventional judge's verdict.

Moments passed. Her thoughtful visage morphed into her usually alluring smile.

"He's definitely the real Ayame-chan", she assured without doubt. "Bold and brazen when expressing himself, yet reserved and secretive at the same time. Truly, a fine piece of a human if I have ever seen one~"

Ayame found her appreciation of his personality vexing. Rias seemed to share the same sentiment, if her strained features and slight blush were of any indication.

She finally let go of him. The orb of energy disappeared, and with it, the danger of dying was no more.

"You could try to look serious in this situation, Akeno," said Rias while stepping back and scratching her head. "I find your attitude a little embarrassing for me, considering I just… eh, threatened our classmate."

It was slightly relaxing to know that Rias had some common sense. However, that didn't erase the fact that this occurrence was stupid. He would have most probably ignored both the redhead and his perverse friend if the former hadn't forced him to talk.

"Don't be embarrassed, Buchou. Your whole 'serious and deadly' mood was a delight to see~!" praised her friend, thrilled. "And we even cleared this little misunderstanding. What better outcome could there be that I'm not aware of?"

"Well, you do have a point, but still…"

Ayame separated himself from the wall and walked forward a little as they talked with each other.

"While I do appreciate that I didn't die again," he began speaking as he stuffed his hands inside of his pockets, "you still owe me some explanations about this whole ordeal. I'm not letting you off the hook after this, and I'm growing tired of being left in the dark."

In the following seconds, Rias nodded at Ayame's request.

"…Yes. Yes, of course. It's the least I can do for you, after putting you through this predicament." The redhead massaged her temples and sighed. "However, I think it would be best if _all_ of us were there to hear it. Hyoudou-san, do you mind coming to the Occult Research Club after class? I promise I will explain everything."

Ayame emotionlessly stared at her with piercing blue eyes, thinking about the pros and cons of the decision.

It seemed she didn't harbor any fishy motive against him. If he took her offer to heart, then he would be able to discover the truth behind his death…

…And not just his death. Everything related would also be uncovered. The truth behind Yuuma. Her objectives, even. And most importantly, the 'Sacred Gear' that led him to this unreal situation in the first place. He wanted to know all of it, although he still needed to be very careful. Rias was just about to end him, had Akeno not intervened in his favor. These were dangerous people who could kill anyone with frightening ease, if Issei's fake girlfriend wasn't example enough of it. Lowering his guard like he did before… he couldn't allow himself to do it.

'_But…'_

The muscles of his cheeks hurt a little as the corners of his lips bent upwards. He covered his face with one hand, knowing the gesture of a smile would appear strange on his face once again.

'…_That's the most exciting part of this little adventure I'm getting into'_, Ayame contemplated inside of his mind.

In the end, the answer was obvious.

"Very well," he complied while uncovering his mouth. "Let's hope you don't end up wasting my time. I want clear answers, and not more mysteries."

Rias pursed her lips. He didn't know if it was either because of annoyance or shame, and he didn't care. She didn't say anything in return.

He spun around, and marched towards the school building once again. Before entering, another doubt arose and he didn't want it to go unanswered.

"…Where is the Occult Research Club?"

Of course, he wouldn't know about the specific location of a club he never went to nor heard about in his entire student life.

Yet, internally, he regretted asking the second he saw Akeno smile at him again.

"Don't worry about that, Ayame-chan. I will lead you there myself once class is over," assured the other girl with a sly tone of voice. "Maybe we could have a little heart-to-heart on the way~"

Perfect. Now he had to withstand the excruciatingly painful damnation that was interacting with the most irritating woman in the universe.

Was he actually dead? Was this his version of hell? Because being talked to death by Akeno seemed like a terrible punishment. One which Ayame wouldn't even wish to his most hated enemies for the sake of not reenacting a situation that bordered on dialogue insanity.

…Anyway, patience wasn't his greatest forte, but he wasn't completely devoid of it.

With nothing else to do, the boy walked back to his classroom, with Akeno silently following behind.

* * *

**\- ~DxD~ -**

The school bell rang, and its sound was a loud distraction he failed to ignore. Ayame blinked and stopped spacing out, concluding moments later that his mind was just anxiously waiting for that specific noise to come. It meant that the answers he craved for would be handed to him sooner or later.

His attention was even scantier than usual, as he had no actual memories of the teacher's words or his classmates' commentaries from just a moment ago. For him, it was a positive sign, for he hadn't been simply ignoring the world around him. Ayame was focused on something he found stimulating; something which promised change and, hopefully, innovation. A change from his sickening routine, even; however, the brunet wasn't so quick to assume this would be enough to produce an actual shift in his life…

Ayame was completely sure of one thing, despite his lingering skepticism. He wanted to know the truth. Nothing that happened after that really mattered right now.

"Shall we go now, Ayame-chan?"

Akeno sneakily appeared besides him. They exchanged a not so amiable look, at least from Ayame's part, and the boy was soon prompted to get up and follow her lead quietly. Both of them got out of the classroom and strolled through the multitude of teenagers and reduced number of teachers going here and there. Their figures got lost amongst the other people, but not to each other.

The incessant chatter of classmates around them silenced their footsteps. When there was enough sound for them to listen to their companion, one broke the ice.

"So, how have you been doing Ayame-chan? Still dazzling the hearts of pure damsels with your icy, holier-than-thou exterior~?" said the girl, flashing him her perpetual smile and obviously not earning a nice reaction from the boy. "We haven't been conversing a lot these days, so I was getting worried about you."

Ayame scowled a little. He seemed disinterested.

"I just got murdered by a mythological creature yesterday. Thanks for asking. You should try it sometime."

Akeno did naught to hide her analytical stare as she conspicuously eyed him up and down. "Ah, it seems you're doing well. Only you could deliver such wonderfully amusing, yet alarming phrases. You're a bit scary sometimes, A-ya-me-chan~"

Ayame looked at her from his peripheral vision. His detached expression could have understandably belonged to someone who happened to catch sight of an ant on the ground. It was a contemptible face, and it was far from making him look like he was actually enjoying the conversation at hand.

"That's rich coming from you, since you seem to enjoy my responses," he declared.

"That I do," admitted Akeno without pause. "But I have never seen someone who remembers his own death so vividly and still talks about it as if it was a visit to the grocery store. And the way you stood your ground against Buchou's might… for a moment I thought you were a brave knight, hopeless and weak in the midst of a confrontation against a dreadful dragon you had no chance of beating. It was adorable~"

Ayame sighed, brushing his chin against his scarf. Some of his brown locks incidentally fell on his face, blocking one of his eyes from Akeno's view. His posture hunched a little. The lack of emotion in his prattling and his scrawny form made him appear shabby in all regards. However, the content of his words were of a person who wouldn't budge in the slightest before anyone else's verbal assault, or speak more than he felt the need to.

"Death is inescapable. Every single one of us is destined to the same end, in some way or another." His statement caught the young woman's attention in a different way than before. It wasn't much of a sarcastic insult as much as a personal vision, and from the unfriendly cynic that was Ayame, such a thing was strange. "Dying yesterday is the same as dying eighty years from now on. It doesn't make any difference to me. If anything, I want to know the reason behind my death rather than pointlessly fretting over the inevitable."

Silence reigned for around a minute. When the boy believed he had finally managed to shut up his insufferable classmate, his expectations were proven wrong. Akeno giggled softly as if she heard a funny joke, which Ayame's opinion was anything but.

"That's an interesting way of thinking, Ayame-chan," she said without a speck of irony. "You speak about life as if it was disposable, a throw-away consumable like any other. I reckon you're aware you only have one chance on earth to live, aye? It's as if life doesn't matter to you."

He became silent for a brief while, involuntarily mimicking Akeno's own just a moment ago. It took him less time to move the conversation forward.

"…Not exactly. Life as an all-precious element is but a potential conjecture, and a fallacy. Our personal decisions and actions are what make life truly precious. They change us and others in consequence. If we do nothing, if we think about nothing, if we believe in nothing, we would be nothing. We would be worthless. The only reason I'm going through the trouble of talking with your friend is because I want to know if I died for a reason I don't accept. What I do with my life after that escapes me."

Such elaborate explanation came out of his mouth smoothly, confidently, leaving a somewhat dumbfounded Akeno speechless. Ayame mentally cursed himself from talking too much about things he actually didn't want to talk about. He slightly moved his head to look at her, and instantly regretted it once he saw her slowly widening smile.

"I see…" Akeno murmured as she nodded to herself. "Ayame-chan is a non-conformist; an ambitious person who's set on leaving his mark on this cruel, tragic world-!"

She dramatically put a hand over her head and the other over her chest. Some people were beginning to realize he existed thanks to the woman's exaggerated acting, and the brunet couldn't frown harder even if he tried.

"So, tell me, oh young and grandiose dreamer, what is thy deepest desire?"

He clicked his tongue.

"I want you to disappear from my life."

She crossed her hands in an X shape.

"You're dreaming way too high, it seems~"

Maybe he was.

Clearly enough, Akeno wasn't knowledgeable enough to understand Ayame and his motivation. Something as ridiculous as 'leaving his mark on the world' wasn't one of his priorities. He would be training to be a gold medalist in the Olympic Games or helping the poor and needy if that was his wish, otherwise.

Ayame only wanted one thing, and that thing was far from involving other people in his affairs; if someone meddled in his business, that wouldn't be inherent to the nature of his wishes, but more related to the fact that humans were too busy messing with others' lives to really care about their own.

Of course… by how things were turning out, the boy would have been inclined to say that his objective, his search of an actual meaning, _was_ going to involve some people in the end. His admittedly limited comprehension of this situation made him unable to say how.

"Sorry Ayame-chan, but you're not getting rid of me anytime soon." Akeno's voice resounded once again, and he couldn't ignore it. "The amusement I feel when I talk with you has the same permanency as the undying love of a faithful wife to her husband~"

Akeno finger-gunned at him.

"Which means I'll talk with you as long as you're around~"

Ayame bit the inside of his cheek and looked at an unimportant direction.

"You're so annoying in so many ways I don't have enough adjectives to describe you with," he answered with an irritation he didn't try to hide. "Also, could you stop making such disgusting analogies? It's as if you genuinely think we're close friends."

"You're so mean, Ayame-chan," she respondend with a hurt tune. "Can't you spare a little bit of lightheartedness for a poor classmate of yours?"

"I already deal with an infuriating person at home every day. One more is asking too much of me."

"Oh, are you talking about your cute little brother?" she inquired, although she seemed to know already. "He's quite the energetic fellow. I always see him escaping from groups of girls chasing after him. It seems he's a heartbreaker~"

"He's much of a heartbreaker as I'm an astronaut," replied Ayame. "No, Issei is a potential sexual offender who, for some reason, hasn't been kicked out of school already. The authorities don't seem to care if their female students are molested, which I find strangely unsurprising."

Akeno cupped her chin.

"Hmm, you do have a point. The thing is that the owner of Kuoh Academy is rather… lenient, when it comes to a little bit of naughtiness from the students. You see, he doesn't have the same set of values you would consider as 'correct', so these things are pushed aside quite often."

And then a lot of things started to make sense. No wonder his school was like a circus. There was almost no one with enough maturity and a clear judgment to stop the students from acting like the horny teenagers they were.

At some point they exited the main building of the school and went outside. After passing by some smaller buildings, they ventured into a secluded area of the school precinct. A gut feeling began tugging at his instincts as he stepped in an area of the Academy he had never seen before. Ayame was wary, for he became aware that he basically forgot the way back. He couldn't have gotten lost, but when he forced his mind to recall the path he took, there was only blank.

Akeno was still silent, smiling. The brunet quickly concluded he was just confusing himself for no reason. He shook his head and brushed that weird feeling aside. As they kept walking in unknown territory, he caught a glimpse of a certain building of Kuoh Academy that was unlike any other.

It looked old, but not to the point of ruin. Its resemblance was closer to an antique mansion, surrounded by trees and nature that gave it a certainly isolate atmosphere, almost hidden. Anyone else wouldn't have much reason to enter or even approach it, which was expected.

"This is where the Occult Research Club reunites and carries on with its activities." Akeno signaled the place with a welcoming smile. "For reasons you will understand soon, the common folk aren't allowed here."

They approached even more. As they followed the grey catwalk leading to the 'mansion', Ayame distinguished something from afar. Two figures were standing in front of the place, both wearing the male uniform of Kuoh Academy.

One was a blonde guy he didn't know about. The other one…

'…_Issei.'_

It didn't take him long to recognize his brother as one of those two. It didn't surprise him, either. Rias saw Ayame's corpse. By proxy, she definitely had to have seen Issei's corpse too. The younger sibling's involvement was, however, something he still couldn't find a proper explanation to.

"Good morning, Yuuto-kun~"

Akeno instantly saluted the unknown blonde guy, Ayame knowing that there was no other person who could have had that name. The sudden call alerted the duo of their presence, and they spun around to greet them.

Blondie's face lit up a little at the sight of the young woman.

"Good morning to you, Akeno," he instantly told her politely. Both of them friendly bumped their fists together, and exchanged some forgettable commentaries with each other.

Issei's mouth hanged open at the sight of the raven-haired pest. It was obvious he was still processing the idea of a woman getting close to him without the intention of beating him up.

"Close your mouth, Issei. You're spreading germs."

And, just as easily, his older brother's voice was enough to take Issei's attention away from the female.

"Dude, what're you doing here? This day is getting weirder and weirder." He got closer to Ayame, as if he was allowed to. "Are we in trouble or somethin'? Pretty boy over there walked me here, but Gremory-senpai was the one who invited me. I could only focus on how sexy she was, so I didn't really think much of this, hahaha…"

"…Really, are sexy women the only thing you can think about?" he questioned rhetorically, knowing full well his brother's response would be anything but satisfying. "You're a lost cause."

"Well, duh, of course," he mockingly told him back. "It's a man's duty to show interest for the opposite sex, you dunce! Everything else is only second to the love one feels for the female body."

He said it so proudly, so confidently. It was truly sad.

"We're still here, Ayame-chan~"

The young woman called them and Ayame rolled his eyes. Both brothers turned around and faced the opposite duo.

Issei started stuttering. He composed himself before speaking.

"M-My name is Issei Hyoudou!" His presentation was followed by a quick, prominent bow, sign of respect. "Nice to meet you, Himejima-senpai! I'm a second year student, so you probably don't know me. You can call me Ise!"

It didn't escape from the brunet's perception that his little brother was trying to ogle at certain parts of Akeno's body as he introduced himself. His lecherous grin was there to confirm it.

"My, oh my. Such a cute and well-mannered little boy~" She praised him with a delighted smirk. "Of course, it's a pleasure for me to meet you directly. My name is Akeno Himejima, but you can call me however it suits your fancy."

She giggled before giving Ayame a sneaky look. His left eye began twitching and he only wanted to slit Akeno's throat to stop her from saying anything stupid. He wasn't so keen on murdering anyone yet, unfortunately.

"See, Ayame-chan? You should follow Ise's example a little. You could make lots of friends if you were kinder and sweeter~"

He stared at her with a special kind of disdain only he could show.

'_Whore.'_

The brunet's lips twitched and only some sort of a divine power held him back from speaking his thoughts aloud. Suddenly, he felt someone else eyeing him attentively. Ayame turned around and came face to face with Blondie.

"Don't forget about me, either," Kiba told him with the same friendly manner and smile. "Kiba Yuuto. Nice meeting you."

He stretched a hand towards him. If the brunet was a little bit more idiotic, and he wished he was, he would have ignored that such a thing meant a handshake.

Ayame considered, for a moment, slicing his hands clean. Minimal physical contact was obnoxious enough already. He just didn't want to touch anyone, not even casually. It was disgusting.

"It's a shame I don't share your sentiment, Prince Charming," responded Ayame with his trademark tone of voice. "Imagine I'm shaking hands with you, in a different universe."

"I-Is that so…" muttered the blond with a confused smile, slowly retracting his hand. "Anyway, I hope we can be in good terms. It seems we'll see each other more often, given the circumstances."

"I wouldn't think so hastily of our relationship."

A girly humming was heard alongside.

"Try to be nice with him, Kiba. He's really a shy person, bordering on the verbally violent spectrum~"

The brunet felt no need to correct her interpretation of him. There was some truth as much as there was some falsehood in it. Besides, if he opened his mouth, he would have probably said something offhand that would end up labeling him as that which Akeno described.

"Anyway," said Kiba, "This is where we part ways for now. I'm sure we will talk more in the future."

Then, with a smiley face, he simply left them to their own matters.

With everyone acquainted to each other and the greetings out of the way, Akeno was the one who took the initiative for the matters at hand.

"I believe we should step in once and for all. Follow my lead, gentlemen~"

Acknowledging her suggestion, everyone mechanically made their way inside the Occult Research Club's territory.

* * *

**\- ~DxD~ -**

Ayame, Akeno and Issei didn't waste much time before entering inside the old house.

The group strolled throughout the mansion, and Ayame was slightly baffled at the dichotomy between the building's worn down exterior and the beautifully luxurious interiors. It was not unlike a pricy manor that could have only belonged to a European aristocrat or rich person of some kind. Kuoh Academy was known for its excessive money spending in buildings, food, teachers, study material, and basically everything a school was made of to make it as appealing as possible for the newcomers. However, even this was a little too comfortable to belong in school grounds.

After walking up some stairs, and walking some more, they stepped inside a specific room.

It was a nice and cozy place. There was a mid-sized wooden table in the middle of the room, with 2 brownish-red sofas across from each opposite side, and one more just in front of the entrance to the room. Beautiful furniture also decorated the place, and coated it with a royalty-like atmosphere. In the far end of the room was a professionally built desk made of dark wood, with its respective chair behind it.

Standing right in the middle, before the desk, was Rias herself.

She smiled at the visitors.

"Perfect! Everyone is finally here." She clasped her hands together. "Please take a seat, but you may also stand if you desire."

There was silent compliance. Everyone sat in a spot of their liking. Ayame chose the one closest to the door, with Issei sitting at the opposite end of the same couch. Akeno sat on a lone couch away from them.

Silence became apparent. After making double-sure everyone was there, Rias coughed in her hand.

"Well then. Thank you for coming here, Issei, and Ayame," she said to them first. "As you might be aware, I am Rias Gremory, president of the Occult Research Club. Akeno Himejima is the vice-president, and my best friend."

The aforementioned woman waved at them with a silent smile. The older brother narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, still distrustful. The younger one giggled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

Both girls stared at Issei. Some seconds passed before he understood it was his 'turn'.

"Uhmm…" started speaking Issei. "I-I'm Issei. Issei Hyoudou. But, eh, I think you already know that. Just call me Ise."

And consequently, Ayame was the one being stared at.

"…Ayame Hyoudou," he murmured after considering it for a moment. He shifted in his seat a little, and stared at Rias. "Get on with it, Gremory. I'm falling asleep here, and I would prefer to make better use of my time."

Rias sighed, a slightly sour expression on her face. "As you wish, Hyoudou-san. Before we start conversing for real, I want to make sure we're all in the same wavelength. Do you know what the motive behind our reunion is today?"

Issei appeared unsure on how to respond, reaction Ayame was expecting beforehand. His younger brother seemed far from being fully aware of what transpired yesterday, on that bloody evening of Sunday. The brunet didn't blame him for his ignorance on the matter, as no normal person would simply believe they were murdered and turned out alive the following day. Ayame's composure and tranquility was a combination of his deeper knowledge of the matter, and his natural handling of any situation.

"…We're here because we died, and apparently, you have the answers to explain it."

The word 'died' resonated heavily throughout the room. Issei stared at him, not really managing to fake his increasing confusion. The others weren't exactly baffled at Ayame's choice of words, but that didn't stop them from looking uncomfortable by his bluntness.

"Eh? W-What do you mean by that, Ayame?" Issei asked him nervously. "I don't really understand what's happening anymore. What do you mean by 'died'? Is this some kind of joke or prank? 'Cause this is not funny at all, dude."

The older brother locked eyes with Issei. There was no emotion in his visage, no sign of joking around, which certainly contributed to Issei's agitation. This situation was anything but a prank.

"Stop acting like an ignorant fool. You perfectly know what happened yesterday," claimed Ayame, arms still crossed. "I was also there. I saw it with my own eyes. Beating around the bush won't get us anywhere."

Issei shifted on his spot, diverting his eyes to another direction.

"…I… I just went on a date with my girlfriend…"

"Yes, you did," responded the boy. "But pray do tell how did that wonderful date end? Was there a goodbye kiss to seal the deal, or something else I am not aware of?"

Issei was mouthing incoherent words without actually saying them aloud. He couldn't speak or respond correctly.

Ayame couldn't really get angry with him. Issei was just a normal teenager that, for all his superficial faults, was just happy to have a girlfriend. The older sibling was moderately incompetent when it came to understanding or even handling feelings, simply because he didn't feel that strongly. However, it didn't take a super emotional person to know what deception and disappointment felt like.

"That woman isn't human, Issei. Yuuma Amano might not even be her real name." He crossed his arms. "She killed you, and then she killed me. And, unless we discover what's going on, we may just find ourselves in the same situation again."

An incredibly dense silence was felt in the room. Issei wasn't even trying to find another excuse to deny a gruesome result that was obvious at this point in time. It would have been a waste of time to do so, anyway, and Issei wasn't hardheaded enough to go down that path.

He stared at the ground, face obscured, and his arms seemed deliberately weak and frail.

"…I understand it may be hard for you to take in all of this, Issei," Rias interfered, "which is why I'll try to explain what's happening as best as I can. But, if you need some time for yourself, I don't mind waiting-"

"No, no… It's okay," Issei interrupted immediately. "I understand. Ignoring reality is not the best course of action either. I just found it hard to believe at first… but I guess it is pointless to play dumb now."

The teenager allowed himself a little smile.

"Don't worry. I already have bad luck with women. Just because this one killed me or some shit doesn't mean I'll just give up and start mopping around! I wouldn't be the great Issei Hyoudou if that was the case!"

He puffed his chest out with sudden dignity and a prideful demeanor, before sporting a serious face that could rarely be seen on him. Everyone's attention was ultimately given to him, and almost everyone was equally surprised at his rapid acceptance.

"Besides, crying ain't going to solve anything. Yuu- _That woman_, she may be trying to hurt others while we're here talking. It's not good to fret over things we can't change if we can prevent them in the future instead." The look in his eyes hardened a little as the words flowed. "I'm not sure what's happening yet, but… I won't back down. I promise."

Sincere and direct. Those weren't the words of a coward who was too scared for something he didn't comprehend, or believed it wasn't real. If anything, he was confidently saying he wanted to involve himself with something risky if that meant less people would go through the same as him.

Rias herself smiled upon hearing Issei's little speech.

"Thanks for being strong, Issei. I promise I will make it up to you two."

With that said, she walked behind Akeno's couch, arms crossed. The other girl didn't react in the slightest, smiling at nothing instead.

"As you may conclude from your encounter with this woman named Yuuma, in this world, there are things that a lot believe to be false; existences that are mistaken for simple legends, myths, or fairy tales." Her explanation was serious despite how false and risible it sounded. "Ghosts, spirits, ancient heroes, and things like those."

She uncrossed her arms, and linked her fingers together beneath her chest. Her eyes closed in thought, giving her certain flair as if she was deep in thought.

"Humanity has done well in hiding these existences from common knowledge, because involving the public in affairs of beings that far surpass them is truly dangerous. These legends, these stories that others just think off as non-existent… Well, they are indeed real."

Issei perked, becoming more and more openly amazed at the prospect of a fantasy-like world hidden beneath humans' noses, and with reason. Ayame found himself captivated by the idea, but the implications of powerful individuals operating from the shadows irked him a bit in curious ways.

"To put it in very broad terms, there's a gigantic power struggle still active in this world between three principal factions which have been around since the beginning of time, all curiously stemming from the same faith, and all trying to expand their influence just to fulfill their own objectives. I will assume you are already acquainted with Christian beliefs or relatives, right?"

Ayame's dull eyes lighted up for a moment, understanding such implications. If he took Yuuma's black wings as definite proof, then…

"…So, what you're trying to say is that the woman that killed us is some kind of Angel?"

Rias opened her eyes and nodded in confirmation immediately.

"Correct. Yuuma Amano is a member of the Fallen Angels, one of the three factions I mentioned. They are Angels, obviously, who lost their grace thanks to carrying out impure actions during their lifetimes, and because of this, they were banished from Heaven. Their black wings signal their previous alignment."

Ayame caught sight of Akeno shifting in a weird manner on her couch. Her face seemed blank for a moment, unsmiling, like she had suddenly lost all interest in the conversation. She crossed her well-shaped legs one over another, and then started looking at her nails without care. The brunet dismissed the gesture seconds later.

Rias looked at Akeno for a fleeting moment, and she decided to stroll back to the center of the room. Her hands travelled behind her back.

"Angels are the opposite. They're pure beings created from nothingness by the almighty, and they're considered to be embodiments of power and virtue. Heaven is, obviously, their current residence, as it has always been. Their main task is to oversee the affairs of humans, protect them if they must, and work in concordance with the Christian church, and others, to eliminate creatures of darkness or anyone who attempts to fight against them. They're fairly neutral, but become incredibly rigid when it concerns the few matters they have jurisdiction on."

"Wow, wow, wait a sec. 'Almighty'?" Issei particularly perked up upon listening the Angels' background. Admittedly, Ayame had the same inquiry as his brother. The implications in Rias' speech weren't a small thing to be overlooked at all. "If Angels exists, then… does that mean that Go-"

"Shut up!"

Rias yelled with a strong voice before Issei had time to finish his sentence, interrupting him and surprising him at the same time. Issei was taken aback, and Ayame raised an eyebrow in response, curious. Rias looked aside, coughing in one of her hands. Akeno stared at them from her peripheral vision, unsmiling.

"Don't say _His_ name, please. We…" The redhead stopped her speech for some fleeting moments. After a few seconds, she exhaled. "…Some words, simple words you would use in your everyday life, carry a lot of power behind them. Words you shouldn't utter so uncaringly. _His_ name is one of those. And yes, He does exist as a matter of fact."

God existed. Ayame believed such a transcendental revelation would be granted to him with more awe and majesty, fitting of an all-powerful and divine being, and only after his human lifespan was exhausted and he was unwillingly sent to whatever place one went to in death. Strangely enough, he favored Rias' bluntness over waiting an entire lifetime to get an answer that would have probably disappointed him.

Both brothers knew better than to start making philosophic inquiries about God right now, despite their curiosity. Other matters needed their immediate attention.

"…Anyway, what about the third faction?" asked the brunet composedly. "You mentioned Fallen Angels earlier on, but I believe those are the same as Demons."

She raised her right hand with one finger up.

"Fallen Angels aren't Demons. In the Holy scriptures, the words may be interchangeable, but in real life, matters are far more complicated."

Another finger went up.

"The 'Demons' you speak of are actually named Devils. That is the third faction, in this case. Devils are creatures of darkness, which have always lived in a different dimensional plane called the 'Underworld'. Angels have the mission of keeping the Devils and Fallen Angels at bay, while Fallen Angels and Devils fight against each other, mainly for territorial disputes in the human world and the Underworld."

A third finger did the same.

"'Demon' is a simple title, an honor, given to the four Demon Lords of ancient that ruled over the Underworld as supreme leaders. While Angels and Fallen are creations of the almighty, it is common belief and knowledge that Devils are direct descendants of the Demon Lords instead. You Japanese folk would label them as '_Maou_'."

Ayame listened attentively, pushing a corner of his lips upwards with a thumb. As much as he slightly enjoyed the history class the redhead put him through, his mind was still focused on another matters.

His paralyzed left arm twitched ever so slightly.

"I suppose that explains the context of this situation, more or less." Ayame shifted on his seat, crossing his legs one over the other. "But I believe you're forgetting that which brought us here in the first place."

Issei suddenly broke free from his stupor, and finished his brother's thought soon enough. "Yeah… why were we attacked by a Fallen Angel, Gremory-senpai? As far as I know, we're just normal dudes."

As soon as he said that, the room fell silent. He looked from one person to another, and confusion etched on his facial features.

"W-What? Am I forgetting somethin'?"

Ayame hummed, drawing everyone's attention.

He massaged a side of his head with his functional hand, thinking. "If I remember correctly, before losing consciousness, Yuuma mentioned something. Apparently, she was given orders to get rid of us, because we probably had something dangerous within us; a 'Sacred Gear'."

He proceeded to extend his open hand towards Rias, signaling her to speak.

"Enlighten me about that, Gremory."

Upon mentioning 'Sacred Gear', Rias' face contorted into something akin to surprise and discomfort. She quickly composed herself, although she seemed to be uneasy about his comment.

"…A Sacred Gear is a powerful and archaic artifact, created a long time ago by _Him_. There is an uncountable number of Sacred Gears in the world, each one capable of granting its user with immensely powerful and useful abilities. Sacred Gears are incredibly precious and rare, and for that reason, many supernatural beings try to take ahold of at least one of them by force…"

Rias gave the brothers an apprehensive stare. She continued.

"_He_ created Sacred Gears a long time ago as an eternal gift. Humans are weak and frail, and _He_ wanted to make sure they would be able to protect themselves instead of fully relying on him." She closed her eyes and crossed her arms. "The only beings capable of naturally inheriting a Sacred Gears are humans. From the moment a new human soul comes into the world, there is the probability that they may hold a Sacred Gear within. Sometimes, some of them are hidden for entire lifetimes, and it's hard to distinguish at first glance who has the gift or not."

Ayame massaged his chin, mulling about her explanation as best as he could. Humans were lesser beings, weaklings. For those who had power for granted, it was a scary thought to think that the last link in the food chain had the potential of revolting against its natural rulers. It didn't come as a surprise that the uncertainty of a Sacred Gear wielder brought dismay upon those who couldn't have it.

"So…," continued Issei before Rias beat him to it. "…All of this happened because we have one of those inside?"

The redhead diverted her eyes, and then shrugged nonchalantly.

"Ise probably does, but I'm not sure about Hyoudou-san." The change in her until now confident tone of voice didn't pass unnoticed. "There is one way of finding out."

She raised her left hand, opening it slowly. As she did, a red mist like a cloud of blood began to emanate from her fingertips. Seconds passed, and the humanly impossible occurred. A crimson luminous glyph with symbols Ayame couldn't decipher or recognize appeared from nothingness, above her hand. A few beats elapsed and the glyph disappeared. The mist began taking the uniform shape of a sphere, with red and black lights shifting inside of it.

An oppressive atmosphere settled in the room. A feeling of risk the brunet knew all too well sent chills running down his spine. He kept a tranquil demeanor, as he was already accustomed to this kind of phenomenon from previous experiences.

It was the same power she tried to use against Ayame.

"What I'm showing right now is magic, basically," demonstrated Rias. "And this energy you're seeing is named _Seele_. It's a residual power that exists as a byproduct of the soul itself. If the soul is the base expression of 'life' that allows us to live as individual, intelligent and irreplaceable beings, then Seele is an accidental flow of power that evinces our emotions, our memories, and our thoughts. Magic is the ability to project Seele in the real world, the physical manifestation of our life essence, our inner magical energy."

She bounced the ball of energy a few times, like testing its existence. Ayame felt a pressure in his lungs every time the sphere returned to its original position, as if he inhaled and exhaled in coordination with its movement.

"The rule of thumb is that everyone who uses magic definitely has a soul, but not everyone who has a soul is able to use magic," explained Rias calmly. "Magic is an ability that requires a lot of time and a lot of effort to be mastered and assimilated as a second nature. Sometimes, genetic and spiritual affinity is needed to perform certain arts, too."

The girl moved the hand in front of her face, illuminating herself with a crimson red light as bright as her hair.

"Everyone has a different soul at the end of it all. This means that magic is a subject too broad to generalize it in practice, as there are millions of ways to use magic out there. What you can surely remember is that, without a soul, there's no magic. And the stronger the soul is…"

**Fuuush...**

With a quick closure of her hand, the sphere disappeared completely.

"-The stronger the magic will be once used."

Issei had seen the event with barely hidden incredulity and bewilderment. His older sibling did the same, absentmindedly looking at the magic that had put an end to his life a night before; neither of them shied away from it. They were like moths attracted to a fire, but unlike the flying pests previously mentioned, they were aware that touching this specific fire would bring them to a swift end.

"This planet is also a living being, the greatest of its kind. However, it doesn't have the same type of life essence as we do, meaning it can't form intelligent thoughts or conceive emotions. It doesn't have a 'soul', and this means it doesn't have Seele either. Instead, the world has a collective mind that translates into nature, and whose primary objective is to preserve itself and the beings who live on it. The world's unending amount of life, coupled with its instinctual consciousness, is what creates the greater source of magical energy called 'Mana'."

Rias began playing with a lock of her red hair as she continued her explanation.

"Not all humans are able to tap into their souls and exploit their Seele as naturally as others. To make up for this, some people make use of mathematics and alchemy, and shape the world's Mana to project magic. This process is far more unreliable than simply using Seele, as Mana is a foreign force without direction and it takes more time to be converted in energy, but some have mastered this type of method and became incredibly powerful."

The young woman stopped mingling with her red mane and started walking around the sofas. She positioned herself behind Ayame and Issei's sofa, arms crossed.

"Sacred Gears are exceptions," she simply stated and allowed herself some seconds of silence to let the message sink in. "They're inherently independent from Seele or Mana, as magic artifacts of divine origin themselves. While magical energy is a good fuel for them to work at their most powerful state, it's not particularly necessary if a person simply wants to summon the Sacred Gear in question."

The woman uncrossed her arms. Ignoring all kind of personal space, she placed one hand on each of the brothers' shoulders. Issei visibly tensed up, while Ayame remained impassive.

"Now you may be asking yourselves: how does one activate a Sacred Gear?" Her statement was absolutely correct, so none of them responded. "Since Sacred Gears produce their own Seele, you just need to synchronize your feelings with it and it will respond accordingly by appearing in the real world."

She took her hands away. The impatient tapping of her foot wasn't very inconspicuous, but Ayame's attention was elsewhere.

"Basically, you need to think hard enough about something that makes you feel strongly. Anything goes, but it has to be deeply related to your person. Try closing your eyes, and go on. If you have the potential, powerful emotions will trigger its manifestation."

The brunet grimaced upon hearing the explanation of the mechanism behind the activation process. Such process was incompatible with his inner subjectivity. His prolonged involvement in this situation stemmed from the fact that he couldn't feel any strong emotion for anything. Ayame was interested, but nothing else.

Either way, the teenager couldn't be nitpicky or come up with puny explanations to excuse his weakness. He needed to confront this problem directly and try as hard as he could.

He closed his eyes, as per instructed.

He rummaged in the blank world that was his mind, trying to find something, anything that was capable of causing even a little bit of emotional turmoil.

Ayame thought about himself. His experiences, his appearance, his personality, all of them were a cluster of mediocrity and neutrality that had no minimal chance of standing out even if he were to try hard enough. Thinking about his pathetic life brought a mild sense of frustration, but that wasn't nearly enough to stir him up.

He refocused and began thinking about Issei. His brother was an honest person, and albeit he was a perverted jackass, he didn't seem capable of harboring bad intentions against anyone. Ayame felt nothing about him either. At best, he could be annoyed because of his sibling's vices, but it was inconsequential.

Then, he remembered Yuuma Amano. She was a mystery, in all honesty, and the front of an innocent High School girl she presented to fool him was idiotic and unremarkable. Her real identity was unknown to him. At most, he could only conclude she was a sadistic woman who delighted on the suffering of those lesser than her. She was strong enough to obliterate a normal human without much effort, too.

Ayame felt slightly humiliated of his death. He couldn't present the slightest bit of resistance against that woman. Nevertheless, the brunet wasn't someone who had much shame about anything for long periods of time. Even then, Yuuma Amano was the one thing his mind couldn't stop thinking about.

As he brought forth every single detail of her, his white mind was slowly darkened with shades of red. He recalled her graceful yet deadly movements. He recalled her sweet voice spelling curses and delighting on his suffering, seemingly uncharacteristic of a beautiful girl such as her. He recalled her lustful, triumphant stare as she gazed upon his battered body.

Everything converged into one specific feeling: the pain.

Pain, pain, pain; the word resonated inside of his skull, almost too sweetly, too attractively. At first he tried to push it aside, suspecting it was just a foolish, transient sentiment that wouldn't last much longer like all the others. But he failed to do so, and then, it became more and more prominent. His mind replayed the word again and again with a familiar voice that hit too close to home.

A tingling sensation began to spread, starting from the center of his chest, and going throughout the muscles and bones of his back. An electric numbness travelled across his paralyzed left arm.

Feelings he was unaware of before started swelling up inside his body. With those strange emotions resurfacing, he forced his mind to remember what happened that fateful night once again, with clearer details. Ayame recreated his final moments inside his brain.

The teenager saw himself on the ground, lying on a pool of blood, lacking his left arm and having a hole blasted through his heart. At that moment, there was only darkness. Yet, he felt it. An overwhelming, phantasmagorical presence was overtaking him in his last moments, refusing to let him die.

Ayame wasn't careless enough to assume he was special or anything. But, possibly enough, when his body perished, _something_ saved him.

That something, if anything, could have been this Sacred Gear that everyone was fretting over. There was no other explanation as of presently.

The teenager reached out with his flawed feelings, and…

…

…

…

"…Nothing."

Ayame opened his eyes after an imperceptible amount of time, uttering his failure with a simple word. He took in the real world around him once again, and with it, the fact he was unable to do anything.

Nothing manifested. No great power was in front of him. There was just a sensation, a sense of mild accomplishment, but not much more.

However, not all was unchanged.

The young man looked down his body; specifically, his left arm. The appendage he couldn't move a single millimeter right up until now; the appendage whose fingers twitched and clenched into a fist when he willed it to.

His left arm moved once again. He subtly flexed it, probing its mobility. Expressionlessly, he stared at the dead limb that now wasn't so dead.

He pursed his lips, and decided to postpone the unanswerable questions for later.

"Nothing at all, Hyoudou-san?" questioned Rias with a somewhat agitated voice behind him, trying to get his attention and not minding his left arm's strange movement. "Although I didn't see anything myself, maybe you felt something strange. Am I correct?"

She was.

"No. I didn't feel anything at all."

Ayame wasn't an idiot, however. If Sacred Gears were the valuable possessions Rias made them to be, then she would surely want to seize them for herself in one way or another if she found one. He couldn't be careless and give people more reasons to pursue him.

"I… see. That's fortunate for you, I suppose."

Stating the obvious, she focused her attention on Issei. Ayame did the same.

Rias' expression was of utter surprise. Ayame stared silently, interested. No words were spoken; the sight they were beholding held more significance than any direct explanation their words were capable of explaining.

Issei was very concentrated, and his facial features were strained. Running down his left arm was a faint, red crimson light of some sorts, and just on top of his palm, a green glow. It was distorted, almost non-existent, but it was there for all to see. A weak and feeble presence, unlike Rias' own, was sensed from Issei's body. Ayame felt every fiber of his body tensing up upon seeing the phenomenon.

The older brother gulped. "That's…"

"Yes, it is," Rias responded as she anticipated the boy's question. "He's not quite there yet, but that's unmistakably it. A Sacred Gear."

Ayame could only look in bemusement at his brother's feat. His heart became heavy and thumped almost painfully at the sight.

It was incredible. As Rias mentioned, it didn't look like a weapon or tool at all, but that didn't make it any less amazing for what it was.

Issei kept grumbling as he put the most effort he could. It seemed that summoning a Sacred Gear wasn't as simple as having strong feelings. The younger Hyoudou was physically wearing himself down just to enact the miracle, and even then, he failed to do so completely. After two long and silent minutes elapsed, Issei exhaled a heavy sigh and the red light disappeared.

He gasped for a while, before composing himself.

"…Did it work…?" asked Issei between ragged breaths.

"Yes! Simply astounding, Ise. You did pretty well for your first time." Rias gave the underclassman a friendly tap on the back, congratulating him.

Issei blushed. If it was because of exhaustion, or because he was actually embarrassed, that remained unknown.

"Could you disclose what was that ignited your feelings, Ise?" the redhead questioned, before waving her hands apologetically. "If it doesn't bother you, of course!"

A brief pause came after. Issei was silent for a moment, regaining oxygen. Then, he blinked, and laughed sheepishly.

"Hehe… It's a little embarrassing," he said while closing his eyes. "I… I thought about him."

He pointed a finger at Ayame.

The older brother widened his eyes a little, before scoffing and looking to another direction.

"From the moment this conversation started, Ayame hasn't been scared or shaken at all. He quickly came to terms with everything that happened and…"

The brunet started massaging his head, smile slightly widening.

"…I realized that my big brother is a very cool and strong person. Not even dying can make him waver, ya know? He's awesome."

Consequently, Issei showed a wide, brilliant smile from ear to ear.

"I also want to be strong. Not just for me, but for others too."

The two women in the room seemed a bit bewildered at Issei's reasoning. Before long, both of them smiled sweetly at him in return.

Rias put a hand beneath her chin, nodding. "Hmm, that's a very noble way of thinking, Ise. But to handle this situation like you're doing right now already makes you strong. Don't be so humble."

Akeno, for her part, put a hand against her cheek.

"Awww, that's so cute. Doesn't it make you feel proud, Ayame-chan? Ise is looking up his older brother~"

Ayame looked away. "I'm not particularly joyful about it. He can do whatever he wants."

"Oh, are you embarrassed? Please tell me you are~"

"Shut up." Then, the boy directed his focus to Rias once again. "Anyway, thanks for your help Gremory. This was very informative."

Said young woman started walking towards her original spot with a smile. "No problem, Hyoudou-san. I'm just repaying you for my mistakes."

Both of them perked up at her last line. Issei felt compelled to ask.

"What do you mean, Gremory-senpai? You couldn't have possibly known something like this was going to happen."

Rias closed her eyes, shaking her head from side to side.

"I should have known, Ise. After all, I'm the one who's in charge of protecting this specific part of Kuoh because of some territorial matters. Therefore, it's my responsibility to foresee this kind of events. I was careless, and two innocent people died because of me. I have no excuse."

And with that said, she straightened her back, and put her arms parallel to her body.

"Which is why-"

She bent her upper body forwards.

Her crimson hair fell over her face, and it almost touched the ground. She didn't seem to mind.

She was bowing, hunching her body low enough to strain back.

"I, Rias Gremory, am sorry for endangering your life."

Her words, sincere and straight, were received with dignified silence.

Ayame stared at her form, piercing blue eyes boring into her as she kept talking. Akeno watched the exchange with a knowing smirk.

"Because of my attitude, you two went through a lot. I won't ask for forgiveness, because I'm sure I don't deserve it. I just want you to know that it wasn't my intention to let you die, or hurt you at all."

Issei himself was completely at a loss for words, too.

"If you want to hate me, please do so. But accept the information I gave you as compensation for my failure. You deserved to know the truth."

An apology. It would have been easier to simply send Ayame and Issei away without recognizing this particular problem, but instead, she actually apologized. She admitted her own lack of insight and the consequences of it, allowing herself to go on with that burden.

Not anyone could just apologize so sincerely. And that was…

…Insulting.

"I reject your apology."

Rias raised her head, clearly stunned upon listening to Ayame's blunt response.

"Gremory, do I look like I need your help at all? Just because a winged monster killed me doesn't mean I need anyone to babysit me. Don't fret over something you had no power of, because that's unreasonable. You're making me look weak."

As far as Ayame was aware, the teenager died because _he_ was weak. He never asked for anyone's help or protection in the first place.

Ayame acknowledged his flaws, and he wouldn't start blaming other people for his own problems. Such a thing was jarring, not to mention childish.

"C-C'mon, dude. Could you have phrased that a little bit less violently?" Issei told him. "A-Anyway, Gremory-san, you don't need to apologize. Just as my bro said, we're fine now! There's no reason to be angry, I promise."

From the way her eyes softened, Ayame could tell Rias appreciated it.

"…Yes, indeed. I shouldn't be treating you like you're completely defenseless on your own. I was just trying to be responsible." She straightened her back and took her usually prideful stance. "Thanks for understanding, anyway."

Issei nodded excitedly, while Ayame just stayed silent.

"…I think we're done here," the older Hyoudou said. "I'm going out."

"Actually," interrupted Rias, "there's a last, very important thing I need to talk about."

Just like that, the brunet decided to listen intently instead of going away.

She stared at him with calculating eyes. Then, after exchanging a quick look with Akeno, her voice was heard.

"I'm not human."

The bluntness of her statement took Issei a little off guard, but Ayame wasn't exactly surprised. He had figured out she wasn't human long before the conversation started or she admitted that fact out loud. A human wouldn't display the kind of power she had.

"I'll make things easy for you to understand. In truth…"

**PAF!**

Ayame didn't flinch. He had seen _this_ kind of thing before.

Sprouting from Rias' back were leathery, bat-like wings. Said wings were big and thick, wide enough to cover the redhead's body if she chose to enclose herself with them; they casted shadows of considerable size on the room.

"I'm a Devil, as you can see."

She turned around for them to see, wings naturally moving along with her. They looked real.

Both siblings could notice that the wings originated from the woman's back, from a point just beneath her shoulder blades. For some reason it looked like they phased through her clothes.

She faced them again directly, not bothering to hide her wings.

"Now, I would like to extend an offer to you, Ayame," stated Rias. "You see, a long time ago, there was a _Great War_ between the three factions, which decimated an outrageous number of people from every group. Because of this, our collective strength is dwindling."

At that moment, she extended her right hand forward. Seconds later, a red flash of light was seen. It quickly subsided, replaced with a small object.

It wasn't hard to distinguish it from afar. It was a chess piece.

However, unlike most chess pieces Ayame knew of, this one sported a crimson glow.

"As a countermeasure, we Devils came up with an incredibly useful method. It's called the 'Evil Piece' system."

She walked closer, carefully managing to not touch anything with her extra appendages. One of the wings brushed Akeno's nose, which made her smirk.

Rias put herself in front of him. Looking at it up close, Ayame noticed it was a knight chess piece.

"This system is simple. Through the use of magical artifacts shaped after chess pieces, we can transform, or 'reincarnate', almost any person as a Devil hybrid, giving them the powers and weaknesses akin to any Devil. Each piece gives the person reincarnated different abilities, respectively, and the ritual is exceedingly easy to carry out."

She showed him the piece in question. It exuded an ominous presence which sent shivers down Ayame's spine. It was even more malignant than Yuuma or Rias' for that matter whenever they decided to be threatening. It was an abominable power, compacted into a small form.

"Evil pieces are only given to high-ranking Devils, such as me. Those people that are reincarnated serve under the person who owns the evil pieces, and they are called a 'peerage'. Each member has the title of the evil piece they possess, and they are known as servants. The one who's known as the 'King' is also the master of those servants."

Ayame shuffled back, not wanting to be close to the small object. He heard the explanation, and so far, he understood it. Yet, his mind was still crushed under the threat of great danger in front of him.

"I will not lie; once you are reincarnated, your humanity will be tarnished permanently. You will cease to be what you were born as, and it's impossible to take the evil piece out without killing the one holding it. But I suppose that's a price to pay for all its benefits."

The boy's blue eyes shone at their center with a blue-red light, reflecting the image of the unnatural power before him.

It felt sickening.

"Hyoudou-san, if I'm completely honest with you, I tried to save you yesterday night," Rias said with an apologetic expression. "I tried to use an evil piece with you, and for some reason, your body rejected it. I managed to reincarnate Ise, because he was still alive. But you were in even worse conditions…"

Issei was a Devil? That explained why he was alive at all. He didn't need to see his brother's face directly to know he was as dumbfounded as Ayame himself.

"I don't know how, but you managed to survive. Right now, I'm giving you the option, as I should have done with Ise.

If you become mine, I will protect you from any other beings that wish you harm, and help you become stronger on your own.

You will never suffer any of the earthly needs that you may have gone through before. I will provide you with shelter, aliments, and any luxury you would personally desire in case you needed it.

Your future will be safe with me."

Ayame diverted his sight from the monstrous artifact, and locked stares with Rias' emerald eyes.

"So, Ayame Hyoudou, I ask you: do you want to become my servant?"

The shadow of her wings approached from his sides, encasing both of them in a single exchange between two parts.

Her offer was lacking in downsides. It was a sweet deal, maybe too sweet. He thought about it again and again, trying to find something deceitful, something that could be used against him in case he accepted, but he found nothing factually wrong with it. Rias didn't seem like a dishonest or unscrupulous person, and considering her power, her confidence, and the resources she could control to have an entire mansion as her clubhouse, she wasn't lying when she said she would take protect him, both against danger and poverty.

Ayame understood it was an objectively good choice to agree and become hers.

Nevertheless, the Devil was in the details.

He would effectively have great benefits. But the high cost was giving up his humanity and freedom of action.

The young man wouldn't need to search for his personal 'meaning', or make decisions of his own. Rias would shoulder the responsibility of all the sins he committed, and in the same manner, receive all of the recognition for the exploits he performed. He wouldn't be aimless anymore, as serving his new master would be the whole point of his existence. But was that really the solution to the problem that consumed and exhausted his life for so long or simply the coward's way out to something only he could confront…?

His face contorted in disgust at the simple idea of it.

Ayame would become a privileged version of a slave. A glorified, disposable piece in someone else's chess game, as if that wasn't ironic enough.

He wasn't a simpleton who lusted after the superficial goods other humans did. He didn't desire any of the things Rias was proposing to him. Ayame was sure he would be used; if he didn't know better, there was the possibility that she would discard him too when he ceased to valuable.

Something within him stirred painfully at the thought of it. Something that almost hurt on another level that wasn't just physical.

…

…

…

…

There was nothing to think about. The answer was already obvious.

"I refuse."

Rias didn't react. She stood still as a stone, not removing herself from his personal space.

"Why?"

Ayame calmly closed his eyes.

"I have lived as a free person, confronting my problems on my own and facing the consequences of my decisions. I will die the same way. My motivations, my objectives, my life and the person I am… you can't take them away from me. I won't allow such a thing to happen, as you have no right to decide my future for me."

She didn't retreat. Her resolve was as firm as his.

"I'm not taking anything from you, Hyoudou-san. I'm giving you much more. Please reconsider. This world is a very dangerous place for you to be alone. I'm just paving a way for you to seize greater things once you're ready."

Ayame was being tempted by the Devil herself. The illusion of choice was just a masquerade to hide her ambitions and dreams.

She promised him lowly things. She would just use him to achieve greater goals that wouldn't concern him anymore.

He couldn't waver. His life, as sick and obnoxiously empty as it was, held the truthful sense of despair to it.

He never lied to himself, even if that meant not finding joy or happiness in anything. If he accepted the offer, he would just simply be a puppet to someone else.

His search would lose meaning, just as his life already did.

"No."

He opened his eyes once again. Both stared at each other fiercely.

She got closer.

Her face was centimeters away from his.

"And what do you want, exactly?"

Ayame couldn't hear anything anymore. The thumping of his heart erased any other sound present. He read her lips and responded accordingly.

"What I want… is nothing you would ever comprehend. And nothing you could ever grant to me."

…

…

…

**Sigh-**

"…Fine."

Rias' voice escaped from her lips almost as a whisper rather than actual talking. Accepting the outcome of a situation she couldn't control, she retracted her wings and made them disappear. Rias walked away from Ayame without uttering a single word. She rounded up her desk and sat on the chair behind it; her slender hands weakly fell on the wooden surface as she plummeted down on her seat.

"I respect your decision, Hyoudou-san. I won't force my hand on you." The woman's obscured face showed a glint of her emerald eyes as she looked at him with a defeated expression. "But please remember that my offer is still up. Whenever you desire, you can contact me."

She let out a heavy sigh.

"…Until then you're on your own. Do you understand the risks?"

There was no change in Ayame's dull eyes. He had considered that possibility before she brought it up.

"I said I don't need your help. I can handle my own life just as fine without you getting in my way."

Seeing the impassive face of Ayame, Rias couldn't find any slight hint of doubt in his being.

"You have made yourself clear, then." She pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes with a strained gesture. "You may leave now."

Heeding her advice, the teenager stood up without missing a beat. After walking towards the exit and taking ahold of the doorknob, he looked behind for a moment.

"I hope we don't see each other again."

**Click…**

Then, Ayame opened the door and left without saying anything else.

"Eh, wait a second Ayame!"

Issei, who had been cautious of not interrupting the conversation, suddenly stood up and decided to follow his brother.

He was about to leave too, but…

"…Gremory-senpai?"

The boy called her.

Rias was caught off guard as he did this. She uncovered her face and locked sight with the younger Hyoudou. Then, with a smile, Issei talked.

"Thanks for everything." He began looking at the floor. "I… I'm not exactly sure about what's going on, really. I did say I wouldn't back down, but… I need time to think things through."

He raised his gaze again.

"But, that's not it. What I mean is that you're a good person, Gremory-senpai. You… You have my gratitude. Thanks a lot for helping us."

The woman's strained features relaxed and morphed into a bright smile. Any sign of frustration she sported seconds ago was replaced with an understanding expression, which she wholly dedicated to him.

"You're a sweet person, Ise. You should go and rest. I know you have questions, but it won't do any good to stress you even more. Go now."

There was no need to respond. With a last nod and his usual smile, Issei left the premise.

…

…

…

A good amount of minutes passed, but there was still time for evening to come. The sun that could be seen outside the windows was still in the same position as before to confirm it. Yet, for Rias Gremory, it almost felt like years.

Her throat felt dry. After a moment of contemplating something, she spoke.

"…Do you think I did well, Akeno?"

The raven-haired girl, who had remained mostly silent throughout the conversation, looked at her with stoic eyes. Her face didn't look quite the same without her smirk.

"You did, Buchou," she simply responded.

Rias' head hung low.

"You say that, and yet… I barely fixed anything…"

A lump got caught in her throat. More seconds went on before the vice-president of the club left her couch and closed distances with her best friend. The redhead slowly ascended from her spot and walked up to her in consequence.

Rias refused to look at her in the eye.

Akeno put a hand on Rias' cheek. Another hand rested on her shoulder.

"…Two people died in my own territory, and I couldn't do anything about it. I was careless to think nothing would happen, even if I remained inactive. Although I saved Issei, I have no way of measuring Hyoudou-san's potential now. How foolish of me…"

"Shush now," said Akeno. "It could have gone worse, Buchou. Now, both of them are alive, and Ise is one of us. He has a great potential if he consumed eight Pawns. This proves beneficial for you."

Akeno forced Rias to raise her head.

"Rias, you're my best friend, but you're also my King. You need more composure and firmness. Just because things didn't go according to plan doesn't mean it's the end of the world. You handled things splendidly so far, and it's not like there's any hurry to intervene more actively. We should take things easy."

Her hands retracted after a while. The raven-haired woman walked with elegant steps towards her couch.

"…Learn to respect yourself before expecting others to respect you, Rias. Your servants need their King, and not the other way around. Weak-willed rulers are overthrown like this, you know?"

Rias took her time to think a little about her friend's advice. With enough tranquility and recovered strength in her mien, she nodded and responded seconds later.

"…I know."

And with that, the foreboding crimson of the evil piece still shining on the desk and the disgusting light of the setting sun served as the closing curtains of the event.

* * *

**\- ~DxD~ -**

The setting sun poorly illuminated one face of the enormous compound of Kuoh Academy. Its orange light emblazoned a side of the richly constructed edifice while the side that remained hidden was covered in darkness. Groups of shadows exited the establishment with tired marching and flimsy aspects, product of a day full of activities. School had finally finished for the day.

Amongst the crowd of unremarkable individuals whose facades were obscured, one walked slightly farther from the rest. The sunlight revealed his face soon enough. A blue-eyed teenager aimlessly trudged towards the gates of the school with the intention of going home, just like everyone else.

Ayame walked absentmindedly, lost in his thoughts.

His sickening routine, seemingly set in stone, was broken into pieces, becoming unrecognizable from what it truly was before. His general disinterest in everything as a whole was strongly challenged by the introduction of the unreal and unknown in his day-to-day. His monotonous lifestyle, a blank canvas of meaninglessness, was dyed with violent colors and they formed a picture his limited mortal comprehension couldn't grasp completely.

His world suddenly shifted at the end of a day and the start of another. A before and after was definitely established in his existence. A few days ago, Ayame was a secondary subject in his own life. Now that he was aware of a world completely alien to his own, the boy had the firm belief that he was but a mere ant in a greater scheme, albeit still a subject of pure coincidence.

A war between powerful and ancient beings, those than in religious scriptures were said to hold the power to change and easily surpass the world whenever they desired, had raged beneath human's noses. Magic and sorcery, concepts that for long times were attributed to lunatic buffoons that claimed to have the power to present miracles and were believed to be false, were now a part of reality. Artifacts of legend, gifts of a divine power to lesser beings, were now truthful facts that became the main ingredients in the making of myths and heroic figures of ancient.

And he, a miserable and pathetic teenager who had trouble when trying to get up from bed, was given the involuntary opportunity of participating in such conflict that absolutely surpassed him in all aspects.

Ayame was able to ignore all of this. He was still on time to return to his repugnant yet safe lifestyle and pretend nothing happened. Nothing but valuing his life first and foremost prevented him from getting involved in something dangerous and deadly.

Everything led to the formulation of a certain question. A question that, on the surface, appeared simple for anyone to respond. Yet, for Ayame, it was a most exceedingly complicated inquiry.

What was he supposed to do now?

At first he was just searching for answers. They were given to him accordingly, after some mild tribulations. There was nothing left for him to do. He didn't necessarily need to involve himself. However, a feeling of disappointment and incompletion still assailed him. A feeling he simply didn't want to live with any longer.

He still had nothing similar to a closure for his emptiness, and therein laid the conflict. What was his objective? What was the reason to keep moving forward?

"…H-Hey Ayame, wait for me!"

In the midst of thinking about his next decision, the voice of his closest relative tore him away from his inner contemplations. The brunet turned heel quickly enough. Issei's all too bright and energetic form ran and evaded the shadowy figures of the other students and approached him with rapid steps. He stopped just a few centimeters away from the older youngster.

"What is it?" asked Ayame, betraying no emotions.

Issei spent some moments to recover his breath. He straightened his back and spoke with a worried tone.

"I…" The boy trailed off, looking at another direction. He shook his head, and stared at Ayame resolutely. "I was just worried about you, bro. It's kind of scary to think you're just fine with being alone, even though people like…"

Issei stopped midsentence, and his voice lost a bit of strength.

"…Even though people like Yuuma exist and are hiding beneath our noses. These are monsters we're talking about, dude. Gremory-senpai may take care of me or something… but are you gonna be fine on your own?"

Ayame narrowed his eyes. He concluded Issei's worry stemmed from the natural affection siblings were supposed to have for each other. The little sibling not only looked up to him, but also wanted him to be safe. However, the older brother couldn't understand such type of affection or harbor it with the same intensity.

"I never needed or asked for help from anyone. If I see myself in a dire situation, I'll come up with something. Mind your own businesses."

Issei's brown eyes scrunched. His disbelief in Ayame's alleged autonomy was easily discernible, something that the latter understood. After all, no sane person decided to be foolish enough to face this kind of situation with no aid or companion to help. It was absolute madness.

Yet, the younger Hyoudou was aware he couldn't change his sibling's mind.

"Geez… man, you're impossible to deal with, you know?"

Ayame tilted his head to one side. "Look who's talking."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm a pervert and you're a prude." He began massaging the back of his head, seemingly giving up in trying convincing him. "Anyway, you gotta promise me this-"

He held up a closed fist in front of his opposite.

"-Don't you die on me, ok?"

The older brother stared at the fist. Ayame looked back and forth from Issei's face to the clenched hand, and understood the gesture he was trying to perform. The brunet raised his own fist, and tapped his brother's.

"I won't."

With that blunt and short reassurance, Issei smiled in a satisfied manner. He walked past Ayame and patted him on the back.

"Well! I'll take a detour and have some fun out there," stated the younger boy as he stretched a little. "Be sure to go home before it gets dark, or I'll kick yer pale ass."

The blue-eyed brunet stared silently at his counterpart.

"Is there any reason for this little detour of yours? If you're so concerned about safety, we can simply go home together as we normally do."

Issei craned his head towards him, a bored expression on his face. "Pal, I spent all day discovering new things about magic, Angels and shit. Right now I want some fresh air and time alone. 'Sides, I couldn't even lay my eyes on the pretty girls today! A man's gotta unwind and get some eye-candy from time to time, to ease the worries and stuff."

Ayame silently judged his brother with half-lidded eyes. The latter waved a hand at him after he finished with his pointless rambling, going somewhere else. The brunet didn't wave back. Issei took the first turn to the right, completely disappeared from sight.

He breathed in one last time. Then, he looked down at his numb left hand. The hand attached to the arm that had been bisected from his body, and which now was completely uninjured.

"'Don't die', huh…"

It was too late for such a thing to be avoided. Ayame Hyoudou was already dead in life, long before Yuuma Amano killed his physical vessel too. This experience, however, awakened something that wouldn't have seen the light had the young man continued down the path of meaninglessness uninterruptedly. Something primal, something violent… something most deserving of being called an upstanding element that transpired from human nature itself.

That 'something'… it was the pure, unbridled desire for more. He wanted more.

His heart thumped louder and louder. He closed his hand into a fist.

He quickly began to understand why he didn't escape in time. He understood why he was almost desperately screaming 'do it!' to Yuuma, urging her to go for the kill as soon as possible. He understood why he was here now, as staring at Issei's dead corpse ignited devious hopes within him.

Pain.

That was the answer. So simple, so stupidly simple, and yet so mesmerizing at the same time.

Pain was the key. Ayame wasn't just a hollow carcass. Pain was the proof that he was a living being, like any other. Pain was the proof that he wasn't an unfeeling monster wearing the breathing, bleeding body of a human as his artificial skin.

Pain was the definite, indisputable proof that he could feel something.

He needed more of it. Pain made him feel human, and maybe, just maybe, with enough pain, emotions that weren't solely tied to material and physical pleasures would naturally rise from within. Things like joy, sorrow, enthusiasm, ecstasy, sadness, happiness…

On the verge of dying, he saw his light at the end of the tunnel. On the verge of dying, he felt the true weight of what others so measly called 'life'. On the verge of dying, he understood a simple sliver of what it meant to be human.

This is why… he would search for the woman named Yuuma Amano. He would grant her the wonderful gift of pain, before killing her. He would kill her just as she killed him.

Once he was done with her, he would move on to the next person - the person that ordered Yuuma to kill him. And then, he would move on to the next one. Anyone who was strong enough to entertain the possibility of defeating him and ending his life, he would confront and destroy them.

The brunet didn't know how he would do it. He was weak, powerless, and fickle. But this was it - his great opportunity to make something worthy of living out of himself. He could worry about his methods soon enough.

Ayame would stain his hands red. He would accept pain and allow it to lead him towards the most human side of himself. He would fill the void inside of his soul, and maybe…

…Maybe he would find more reasons to keep on living.

Or die trying.

He smiled.

With a resolute posture and sharp blue eyes looking past the real world, and into his future objective, he strutted back home.

* * *

**\- ~DxD~ -**

Issei stumbled from side to side weakly. His steps were heavy, and his appearance was disconcerting.

He was unaware of where he was right now. He didn't care. As long as he was far away from anywhere where people could congregate in great amounts and bother him, it was completely fine.

His day was a crazy one. Not so long ago he started his very first relationship with a woman that actually seemed interested in him. In their first date together, she murdered him in cold blood and without the slightest hint of remorse for doing so.

On top of that, he wasn't human anymore. Nobody asked him about his opinion on the matter, or what was he feeling when going through so many things in so little time.

It should have been a cool thing… like a tragic backstory for an amazing protagonist, ready to embark on a great journey.

**.**

**.**

**.**

_I won't back down. I promise._

**.**

**.**

**.**

Unfortunately, it didn't really feel cool or awesome. It was horrible.

With a blurred sight and trembling legs, Issei stopped walking and put his back against a wall as support.

**.**

**.**

**.**

_I already have bad luck with women. Just because this one killed doesn't mean I'll start mopping around!_

**.**

**.**

**.**

Issei wasn't lying when he said that. Crying wasn't particularly useful to resolve anything, and he wasn't a person who gave up pretty easily against obstacles. He wouldn't have been fawning over the women of his school if he felt discouraged from all the beatings he received from them. However, he wasn't invincible, and right now, he couldn't hold it inside any longer.

Issei looked down at his left hand.

There was a droplet of water on it.

No… Not water. It wasn't raining. His eyes and cheeks were wet, too.

It was embarrassing. He was sure people would laugh and make fun of him if they saw him like that. He was supposed to be jumping like a kid and fool around like an idiot.

But, for this one time, he didn't mind. If he failed to come to terms with this situation right now, he would have been hindered by those feelings later on. He needed to be cool and strong, just like his big brother. Nobody needed a weak person.

**.**

**.**

**.**

_Besides, crying ain't going to solve anything._

**.**

**.**

**.**

Crying never solved anything. Action did.

However, he wanted to be himself and not just the stupid, clueless guy everyone thought he was.

Issei let himself slid down the wall. He sat on the ground; his legs were lazily sprawled across the hot pavement.

One hand rested on his thigh. With the other hand, he covered his face and the tears that were falling down from his eyes. Unfortunately, he failed to conceal his bleeding heart in his every sorrowful gesture.

Issei Hyoudou discharged his pain in absolute silence.

* * *

**~Author's Note~**

Man, I'm on fire these days. I was expecting this chapter to come out next month, but I had a sudden flow of inspiration, and I finished faster than usual!

Anyway, one thing you may be weirded out about is 'Seele' and the way I'm handling magic. High School DxD doesn't really have a specified system for magic in canon, and many things are left unanswered, which makes it harder for me to write about it. I don't like the idea of just going around and saying 'magic is magic, no explanations needed', because that's not my style. For that reason, I'll incorporate elements of my own headcanon to make it more enjoyable/understandable for the readers.

Also, you may have noticed that the characters of this story are slightly different from canon. Issei isn't just a single-minded pervert, Rias is not as high and mighty, and Akeno is more unsettling than usual.

I'm trying to take the original characters and give them more depth while also changing many other things. I hope they're exciting to read about, too.

If Ayame seems like an unlikable asshole with sociopathic tendencies, then that's great. I'm aiming for that kind of character. Tell me what do you like about him so far, along with the other characters as well. It really helps me to get the ideas flowing.

Anything else of interest is welcome. Tell me all of your thoughts in a review, if you want.

A huge thanks to Ciel du Nord for being a spectacular Beta Reader and an awesome person all around. I recommend you her story, "Dreams of Red", if you want to go on a huge rollercoaster of emotions and adventures!

Merry Christmas to all of you!

**(23/12/2019)**


	4. Apparition

**Phase 1 – Gula**

**Chapter 3 - Apparition**

* * *

There was an old story, completely unknown to the masses and inconsequential in the same manner to them. An isolated event in a world of many, result of misfortunate coincidence, or maybe already predetermined by Fate itself as a sick and twisted chain of bad occurrences to prove the inevitability of adversity, and the tininess of man in the grand scheme of things.

It was a bloody tale filled with agony and misery, hopelessly bleak from start to end. It presently remained naught but a pitiful undertone in the life of its characters, an insignificant explanation to the ways of life of beings that could hardly be called human any longer. Insignificant, indeed, because such explanation couldn't overturn the misdeeds committed, or change the horrible repercussions that came along as a matter of course.

This story, this phantasmagorical echo from the past, was nothing else but the tragic recount of the makings of a monster.

Yet, now forgotten and with no way to acknowledge its existence, the story was relegated to a simple childhood memory. A memory pertaining to the main actor of the tragedy, the Monster. A memory he could only relive as his conscious self was resting in a deep slumber, as it happened now.

There were blurry lapses; certain times where everything was dark and he couldn't remember correctly what was transpiring. Admittedly, it wasn't something he wished to remember.

Every minuscule part of his existence worked in unison to shut down the memory in the deepest parts of his biological database, as absolutely erasing it was but a fool's errand.

Everything before him was nebulous and washed down. It wasn't much different from watching an old movie in black and white. His refusal to acknowledge the event weakened the unimportant details like the colors, and only impactful elements remained. Albeit it clearly wasn't a prerecorded tape, he was forced to follow a linear script. It was him, enacting his very own character, but without a will of his own.

It happened many years ago, when smiling was a regular occurrence and life was something to be foolishly enjoyed instead of rapidly terminated. The knowledge of it was there, in his rotting mind, although hidden, buried, concealed by neglect and disgust. Yet, it would always stay there, and he would never escape from it.

It was unnatural, disgusting, perverse, and violent. His childish self couldn't keep up with it. Such tarnishing of his innocence shook him to the very core, to the point where he still couldn't understand why everything happened the way it did.

He wanted to avert his gaze, to close his eyes, to remain ignorant. However, nice things were better reserved for nicer people, and he had no such luxury.

The Monster was around nine years old when he met the Beast.

He unwillingly moved towards blurs and opened his mouth to speak about joyful matters in an equally bright manner, readily smiling at glazed calamities. It was the calm before the storm; the rising action in a forgotten anecdote whose main genre was tragedy. Soon enough he met a horrible existence, whom he only could categorize as a monster wearing human flesh, just like him not soon after.

It was a beautiful kind of monster, however. The Beast had long, gorgeous golden hair swaying with wild yet delicate manners. Its eyes were of a sky-blue coloration, entrancing, and they stared at the world with contemptible loathing. They also stared at him dangerously, with self-willing hunger and warped ideas of fun. It was a gaze of obsession and twisted infatuation.

He was attracted to its smile. It was the most bewitching smile he had ever seen in his life. However, he quickly began to understand that the Beast's reasons to smile were far from good. The Beast smiled before playing a new game with him. The Beast smiled before subjecting him to a new day of suffering.

He still remembered it clearly, the Beast's favorite question.

Whenever the Beast smiled, it asked-

_Does it hurt, Ayame?_

_Does it hurt, Ayame?_

_Does it hurt, Ayame'_

_Does it hurt, Ayame?_

_Does it hurt, Ayame?_

_Does it hurt, Ayame?_

_Does it hurt, Ayame?_

**.**

**.**

**.**

-And then, his bones would shatter one by one, and his flesh would be torn apart.

**.**

**.**

**.**

The teenager suddenly leaped from his bed. A desperate gasp got stuck in his throat as he tried to calm down. He instinctively placed a hand over his chest, trying to make sure there wasn't a gaping hole through it.

He pushed and pushed, and his hand only met skin and bone. Then he understood he was still alive.

Such thought didn't bring any jolly, for better or worse.

He attempted to control his respiration seconds later, slowing his deranged heartbeats bit by bit. The hot oxygen brashly travelling inside his lungs and forcing its way out through every exhalation brought him back to the real world. It was more than enough to fully understand that the dark sceneries he had witnessed in his dreams were just that – dreams. They were unreal, illusionary, product of a conscience that was too occupied ruminating about anything that wasn't a teenager's youthful and exciting life, but other more serious and abnormal matters. And he was already awake.

Ayame took in the feeling of irrational dread. Dread and mistrust in the images his malfunctioning brain forced him to observe. Upon doing so, he also was sure he wouldn't relax and pitifully surrender to his tiredness.

"Hmph… a nightmare?" he murmured while covering his face with a hand and massaging it. "It's a bit too late to have sleepless nights now, of all times…Although I don't mind."

He believed his mind to be a metal box of sorts. Its rotten contents weren't to be liberated, and externalities were unable to enter and cause turmoil. Dreams and nightmares were rare experiences, as he only admired the sickening grayness of his thoughts whenever he decided to sleep. His apathy rendered him uncaring in the face of the world's occurrences.

He simply didn't care about anything enough to dream about it.

Yet, that seemed to be wrong. The sudden interruption of his rest was proof of it. After years of dreaming about nothing, he had an actual nightmare. What was the cause of said nightmare or why was it happening right now were questions whose answers escaped him. Such ignorance about the changes in his person was slightly frustrating. However, he was already satisfied with knowing he _was_ changing, in some way.

Ayame was human, more or less. He was flawed in his own strange way, and he was aware of what dreams were and how they felt like. He just stopped dreaming when there was nothing else to look forward to. There were no successes to be happy about, or failures that taught him how to become better.

Humans were imperfect on purpose. They were supposed to be, as that made them 'perfectible' - that is, they could never cover all of their flaws completely, but they were still able to polish their greater qualities to greater heights. In that sense, perfect things were inferior to perfectible things, as perfection was already locked and limited to its realized state. Perfectible things were able to reach newer stages of evolution, and surpass anything else that had no room for growth anymore.

Ayame himself thought humans—or at least, the idea of them—were beings full of potential. They were boundless creatures with as much capacity to enact the most egregious evils known to men and become foul Demons as they could perform the greatest acts of kindness and turn into brave Heroes. Eventually, a human should be deserving of falling into the deepest darkness for his monstrous sins, and another would be fit to aim to the stars in the sky - and be one. There were limitless possibilities.

The brunet in question was stalling as a human. He was no virtuous saint, or detestable Demon. He was fine with being both—he wanted to be one or another—, but he wasn't granted even that.

Ayame could rationalize all he wanted, but he was sick of that. He was tired of solely thinking. He wanted to _feel_. In his eyes, humans were limitless beings with insurmountable potential, and life was a road for both good and evil.

Yet, he felt nothing. He felt nothing at all. He was out of the equation. He couldn't bring himself to like or hate anything, and thus, he couldn't bring himself to do anything. This placed him in a state where he couldn't follow through his own view of life, one of infinite potential in his every decision.

The brunet lacked inner drive. In consequence, there was no external action. Humans were ever-changing creatures, always moving. This meant he couldn't fit in his own concept of humanity.

Some people moved backwards.

Others moved forward.

He didn't move.

He was just there, existing. Living was far away from his grasp, because living implied he embraced life and went along with it in his personal pursuit of happiness. There was no pursuit, or reason to be happy.

Ayame Hyoudou was failing to meet his standards to be human. He was physically there, materially there… but emotionally and spiritually, he was absent, slowly vanishing and melting into nothingness. He was and then he wasn't, and at some point, he would definitely cease to be.

He would die, had he failed to change. He would die either by his own hand, or by the hand of a higher force - it could be the natural order of the world, it could be the inescapable Fate, or it could be God himself. He would perish in concordance with his inability to evolve as a human.

…But, not all was bleak for him.

He had a nightmare, meaning he cared about something deep inside. He was able to feel pain, meaning he could feel other things if he tried hard enough.

There was a slim possibility of living like a normal person. He just needed to nurture his intrinsic human elements until he wasn't forced to do it consciously. Until the 'void' became a thing of his past he could finally leave behind.

Ayame was taking the initiative. He was finally advancing. Making use of certain parts of his mind—the emotional parts—, after pushing them aside for so long, was particularly impactful on his person. He needed emotions to push through this situation and grasp the results he wanted, albeit said emotions were slightly overwhelming…

"Huh… when put like that, I sound like a drug addict who's getting his chemical kicks all of a sudden after not doing so for a long time," he detachedly murmured while rubbing his eyes.

It was an inappropriate comparison. Emotions were much more than just non-corporeal drugs. They were far more important.

"…If believers need a divine being to pray to, in this context, I surely need feelings instead."

Ayame didn't take pride in his null poetic talent, but that was a better encapsulation of his mindset. What was a believer without a God to ask for guidance and miracles from? What was someone trying to be human if he or she had no emotions to feel? The lack of a central object in either context rendered the whole point of being a believer or a human useless.

"Though I guess it's finally my win after a long time. I should make the most of it as fast as I can, too…"

For that end, he was skipping school today. The brunet was aware that his current lifestyle was absolutely detrimental for him in every way, and infinitely more if he weighted the dangers of the supernatural in addition. He needed to act as soon as possible, and avoid another gruesome death.

Ayame escaped from his unsightly mess of a bed. He stood up, let out an uncharacteristic voiced yawn, and then stretched his tall body until it hurt to do so.

Since he was staying in today, he wanted to reduce the number of distractions his own room could provide. Because of this, the brunet actually went through the effort of tidying up and cleaning his room, action he almost never performed due to deeming it as pointless. The clothes haphazardly thrown across the floor were taken, folded and stored in the closet; his horribly disordered bed, always lacking of real comfort or commodity, was made almost perfectly; the dust on the furniture and some corners of the room were cleaned away once he got ahold of a broom and a dustpan.

As a finishing touch, he opened the blinds of his balcony. Beautiful morning sunlight invited itself in the teenager's obscured lair, illuminating a satisfyingly clean room that in the past should have looked exceedingly hideous in its chaotic state. Ayame's tired eyes protested as they were hit with brightness, but his mind felt satisfied one he gazed upon the result of his cleaning task.

His personal living space was completely cleared and organized. With that out of the way, he finally would be able to concentrate on that which was more important than school: getting stronger.

It was a simple idea. In the context of a conflict between supernatural beings which battled against each other with powers beyond human comprehension, Ayame Hyoudou was a weak and minuscule existence. He was a weak mortal and had the normal weaknesses of any other mortal. Those were weaknesses he couldn't simply exploit from his far stronger, far mightier opponents in the future. He wouldn't be able to defeat Yuuma Amano with his current level of strength, or strategy.

He rested a few days. He digested the situation. Now, he needed to do something if he wanted to involve himself seriously.

He wasn't able to utilize magic, which was already a terrible disadvantage when considering what his enemies were. However, he could make up for it by training his body and being crafty around the problem. He needed to become physically stronger, first and foremost. Then, he could come up with a way to defeat Yuuma effectively.

The most offending disability was his Sacred Gear. Supposedly, he had one. Yuuma targeted him and his brother for a reason. Rias entertained the possibility of him having one, too. However, the method most accessible to him had failed to bear positive results.

If he had the power to use a Sacred Gear, then this situation would have been far easier to deal with. But that would have been too boring either way.

For now, he would focus on strengthening himself. He couldn't waste time trying to 'reach out with his—non-existent—feelings' and manifest a magic artifact of ancient from nowhere, which he probably didn't even possess. He had to work with the things he had for granted, and move forward from there.

"Push-ups, squats, and sit ups… I suppose it's the easiest to do for a beginner. I will add more exercises when I become acclimated to them."

Following the spoken order of activities, he placed himself face-down on the ground. His open hands were positioned alongside his body, flat on the ground.

Then, without further ado, he pushed himself upwards and began counting the number of repetitions; one, two, three… surely enough he counted 10 push-ups after a considerable number of seconds.

Ayame was a stranger to physical training. This and much other things stemmed from his permanent inaction, which made him unable to excel at anything.

He was a scrawny, skinny teenager who could be broken like a twig if someone strong enough wanted to do so. His body mass was also lacking, given he didn't eat much food as he preferred to sleep the life out of his body instead. He was the basic definition of laziness and sloth. He was an empty creature who couldn't even enjoy basic mundane pleasures anymore, and that translated into an unhealthy routine.

In summary, the brunet was pretty weak. At most he was never able to do more than twenty push-ups until his puny noodle arms gave up before the increasing pressure of the exercise. It was shameful and he was sure teenagers his age were supposed to perform better than he actually did, which only felt like pouring salt on the injury. Inexplicably enough, Issei was far more athletic than Ayame - the perverted imbecile had won many school competitions in his early youth, ranging from long sprints to endurance runs and similar with relative ease. The older brother was sure his sibling still had a good degree of physical prowess, unlike him.

However, this wasn't a mere excuse to explain a failure that never came to be. No, it was a way of exalting a certain surprising fact.

Ayame had already passed the count of twenty push-ups, and he still wasn't particularly tired.

It was obvious he was putting effort, but his tiredness hadn't quite grown past his abilities. He himself was surprised at the unexpected outcome, but awing about it in the middle of the exercise wasn't beneficial in any way.

He kept going and going. At some point he passed the 30 push-ups mark. Small trickles of cold sweat started to form on his forehead and cheeks, and flowed down his skin. His exhaustion was still unimportant. A soft creaking could be heard from the joints in his arms. Flexing his limbs after not doing so for a long time was most definitely unstiffening them.

He managed to do 60 push-ups, and that's when things became slightly worrisome. Ayame was sure he simply wasn't able to exert himself so much with no prior conditioning, and it proved itself truthful moments later.

Some inconsistencies in his breathing could be noticed, which was a clear sign he was surely approaching the actual brink of what his body permitted him to perform. He couldn't perfectly control his intake of oxygen and that was becoming more and more apparent.

His left arm was itching from the inside, almost burning. The veins swelled with hot blood. The muscles of his arm cramped unnaturally. The bones dug against his skin outwardly, as if they were trying to burst through it. The electrical signals sent by his brain burned his nerves, which seemed unaccustomed to what could be an otherwise normal action from his body.

He did 90 push-ups.

It was a lot of work for a weak person like him with barely any training. It was a surprise he was able to do so much physical effort, but it wasn't an unwelcome one.

Ayame was tired enough to stop. However, he failed to get up and silently celebrate his success.

The teenager ungracefully lifted himself up from the slightly clean floor, hot air brashly escaping from his insides. He tiredly blinked, swallowing saliva and breathing through his mouth in an attempt to gather more oxygen. His fingertips felt numb against the floor, and trying to get up was increasingly painful for his exhausted appendages. As soon as Ayame understood he couldn't even get up, he knew something was wrong.

He couldn't move. He couldn't feel his left arm anymore. Every slowing pulsation of his heart felt like someone was smashing a brick against his back. His entire body, and particularly, his chest, was budging down towards the ground. He felt exceedingly heavy. Gravity suddenly was his enemy and it clearly wanted to drag him flat on the floor with all of its strength.

Then, his body felt cold. At first he just believed he was out of breath, a totally normal reaction after an arduous exercise. Yet, it was much worse. There was a scary lack of heat, a lack of movement inside. As if he was a corpse whose organs didn't function anymore. He became aware of what was happening seconds later.

His heart stopped moving - it wasn't pumping blood at all.

"Ah…"

He tried to breathe as hard as he could, but no oxygen that entered inside his nostrils actually circulated inside his body. His lung began to compress and tighten due to the lack of air. Shivers coursed throughout his body, making him arch his back with discomfort.

Ayame emitted choked sounds and trembled. This wasn't a feeling much different from when he died. It was as if one of his most important organs, the heart, had suddenly vanished, leaving nothing but void inside. His left arm shared the same experience; Ayame couldn't even tell if it was there anymore.

The seconds became longer and longer. He was getting slower, and the world was moving ahead of him. His perception of time deteriorated with the advent of death, and he couldn't escape from it no matter how much he forced himself to.

Before, the brunet may have accepted the natural end of his life with open arms. He didn't have much to live for anyway. However, that had changed, and he couldn't die now. He couldn't die. He couldn't die. He couldn't die.

He wouldn't die. There were things he needed to do - things he needed to accomplish.

With such feeble conviction, he raised his right arm-

**BAM!**

-And punched his chest as hard as he could.

The lack of support from his other arm and the strength of the blow ended up throwing him off balance, and he finally fell to the ground as a matter of course.

Ayame coughed violently, action which damaged his throat. A metallic, liquid taste was sensed by his taste buds. As he kept hacking, he desperately scratched his chest, as if he wanted to tear away his skin and break his bones with the intention of grabbing his heart and pump it manually. At some point he lost strength and went mostly limp, too weak to do anything else.

He remained there, immobile and moribund. It didn't take much longer before he heard a wheezing coming from his own mouth, a fact that brought some semblance of tranquility amidst a tense moment.

The teenager was breathing once again.

He coughed a few more times, and warm wetness stained his cheek with trickles. When he touched his lips experimentally, to see what kind of thick liquid was overflowing from his mouth, and raised his wet fingers up where the sun projected its light, he saw it was fresh blood.

The young man sighed and set his hand down, deciding to lie on the floor instead of getting up. It was still early in the morning. Ayame was sure neither Issei nor his parents would enter inside his room and disturb his privacy without a good reason, and see him in such a weak, pitiful and frail state. He wanted to curse the obnoxious failure that was his own body as much as he wanted to unravel the dark secrets it hid from him.

"…Pathetic," he harshly muttered to himself in a low voice. "If I die because of a small workout, then I won't stand a chance against that woman. This won't do…"

Despite being fairly ignorant about his current situation, the young man was no fool. He was aware of the abnormalities that his body presented.

Ayame previously assumed he was revived in some way or another. He understood he was given a new arm and heart, simply because they didn't feel like they were part of his own anatomy. They were foreign pieces that looked and most definitely worked like a normal arm and heart, yet they were anything but those. They felt permanently numb, not different from what happens when blood circulation is cut off for extensive periods of time in a person's body.

It was like someone had transplanted body parts that weren't his own in him.

He wanted to have a word with the charitable soul that decided to give him this poor excuse of a vital organ and limb. Some adjustments were in order, because physical defectiveness wasn't something he desired to be burdened with once he started fighting for real. As much as he was grateful for not being permanently handicapped, he preferred that over having a dead arm that didn't move, or a dead heart that couldn't pump blood and resist a small session of calisthenics.

…Pushing cynical assumptions aside, this was an interesting piece of experience.

Ayame was stronger, more resilient - he felt he could naturally do more than when he was still a lazy teenager in all aspects. He could push himself past his otherwise normal limits without much problem. However, overexerting himself would endanger his life, for reasons he still failed to understand.

He just needed to exercise caution. And definitely exercise more, because things like these probably wouldn't have happened if he actually gave a damn about his fitness beforehand. Understandably enough, he didn't have reasons to care about his health either way. But now, he needed to do the opposite of what his inner emptiness forced him to do.

The brunet turned around, face-up. He needed to continue his training, despite any problems he could face.

Yuuma Amano was a being too powerful for a normal human to handle. If Ayame couldn't strain himself to fulfill an action that marked the difference between life and death, then he might as well have had considered himself a walking corpse marching towards his end.

He had to become stronger. He had to train until he felt like dying, and then train even harder. He couldn't allow his exercises to become too easy, to become part of yet another routine he couldn't escape from, as that would ultimately kill him. Ayame couldn't allow himself to be static when the person he wanted to defeat was already infinitely more dangerous than the strongest of humans.

Ayame swallowed the blood he coughed just moments ago, and continued.

* * *

**\- ~DxD~ -**

Up to the point where he stopped exercising and coughing up blood, it seemed like he wouldn't make it. Ayame still pushed himself and managed to complete his exercises as best as he could. The lingering soreness in his muscles was proof he made the necessary effort to make it worth it.

After facing some reluctance from his parents and a bit of complaining from Issei, he was allowed to skip school for the day. He didn't feel like dividing his attention when other matters were more important for the moment, and studying, albeit useful, was boring. He could make better use of his time now.

The teenager took a shower and made himself lunch.

Ayame wasn't a stranger to cooking, as he spent a lot of time polishing his skills to please himself and find his 'meaning' in creating works of culinary art. Needless to say, cooking turned out to be absolutely useless for him in that regard. His family always said that the food he made was delicious. He refused to believe that following textbook recipes by memory was worthy of praise either way, as those were original creations he copied out of his own unoriginality.

This time, however, the food had a strangely weak flavor, as if it was tasteless substance instead. He quickly attributed it to the fact he didn't bother to practice in a long time. Besides, enjoying the food he ate was secondary. As long as it kept him alive and nourished, he would eat anything any day no matter the taste.

He waited a few hours while doing mundane things to pass the time. It would have been easier to laze around his house and sleep to recover energy, but that was the worst out of two options. Simply staying at home wouldn't quite help him this time.

His current objective was murdering a monster. Murder in itself was already too complicated a task, but Yuuma Amano as a target made it even more impossible to carry out. It wasn't a question about being discrete - he just had to create the perfect situation and be strong enough to take advantage of it. Both of those were undoable presently.

Ayame had to discover where Yuuma was hiding, first and foremost. Then, he needed a specific date when he knew she would definitely be there and the conditions favored him. Finally, and not less importantly, he had to come up with a backup plan to escape or maneuver his way around victory, had he failed to defeat Yuuma or she turned out to have allies he couldn't defeat on his own.

…The brunet would have been lying if he said he didn't want to fight all of them at the same time, but that was beside the point.

The main problem was that Kuoh wasn't a safe place. He had to familiarize himself with the city as much as he could. The most desolate places were to be noted, as the lack of humans paved way to the presence of the supernatural.

Ayame's only advantages were foreknowledge and a low-profile. He was an infant ember in a sea of fire. Nobody would pursue him as long as he didn't do anything stupid and made himself known, for now. In the meantime, his only options were exploring the city and perform vigilantism work. At some point he would inevitably find the clues that led him towards the monster's hideout if he looked hard enough.

With that in mind, he would also jog outside and keep training his body to extend his general endurance. Looking for suspicious activity could be coupled with physical training, and he would kill two birds with one stone. He couldn't remain inactive under the pretense of a meaningless routine. This was the perfect opportunity to change the course of his monotone lifestyle.

Ayame dressed himself with dull clothes that wouldn't bring much attention—just a simple hoodie and dark pants—, as well as his treasured scarf. Upon finishing, he walked out of his home, locked the door, and began strolling in a random direction.

The brunet dived into his thoughts as his long legs carried him forward at a semi-fast pace.

He found a somewhat charming side to his completely normal jog. It was unremarkable, nothing out of the ordinary. By his logic, it should have been repugnantly unexciting and tedious as anything else he ever did for the past years up until now. However, the motive behind his going outside was much more interesting and complex than just simple physical conditioning, which allowed him to enjoy it when he otherwise wouldn't.

Any normal person would have told Ayame that he was becoming too obsessed with this whole ordeal; that he was looking too deeply into it when it wasn't necessary. Truthfully enough, he was doing lots of mental gymnastics and overcomplicating everything in his mind with the intention of convincing himself that this was actually a possible cure for his emptiness.

However, was that any different from a parent single-mindedly searching an excellent doctor who could treat his child's terminal sickness? Or a young man fidgeting and despairing as he anxiously waited for a young woman to say yes or no, in response to an earnest love confession?

This, too, was a desperate situation. His life, in one way or another, was in danger. Thus, the teenager firmly believed that his excessive focus and tenacity were rightly justified.

Ayame was totally aware that he was not a normal human. It was almost impossible for him to develop interpersonal attachments, or have strong feelings. A lot of people were withdrawn and antisocial, but the brunet was on a very rough extreme of the spectrum. It all boiled down to the same objective: Ayame had to break through his meaninglessness and liberate himself from the 'void' that consumed his thoughts and emotions.

The young man had to search for something that stirred strong sentiments within him. Those sentiments would eventually lead him towards an object of adoration he could devote himself to, and in consequence, complete his life.

The greatest difficulty he was facing was that he had no feelings towards anything. Such inability to guide himself through emotions was destroying him. He wanted to believe that his sentiments were just hidden, washed down, trapped inside. If not, then what was the point in all of this?

But Ayame—rarely enough—still held some deformed semblance of Hope.

A few days ago, he died. Such event changed him. It brought another side of his he didn't know he had outside. The teenager felt inhumanly terrible amounts of pain, experienced firsthand the inevitability of death, and then came back to life anew with a renewed outlook of himself and life.

That was the reason he was running. He was running and training to become stronger, so he could come face to face with Yuuma Amano. He would have a deathly encounter with her. Death would graze him again with its cold fingers, and if he was lucky enough, he would find the warmth of life once again had he escaped his demise. Ayame believed that if he repeated the process and each new time he was closer to finally dying for sure, he would come to appreciate his seemingly worthless existence and find an actual reason to live.

Ayame could die, as much as Yuuma could die. If he lived through this situation, he would be able to keep searching for his meaning with greater hopes. If he died, he wouldn't need to put up with this insufferable, colorless repetition of meaninglessness ever again.

After an hour running around, his chest began to ache and he distantly tasted blood. He decided it was best to stop before he had another unfortunate incident.

His throat felt coarse and his tongue had a metallic taste, courtesy of the liquids he almost spilled not so long ago. Thirst became a little too annoying to handle and he thought it was best to drink something.

Ayame stopped by the first vending machine that came to sight. He walked in front of the mechanic box and looked from top to bottom through the transparent glass. All of the drinks blended into a meaningless list of choices that had no difference one from another in the fulfillment of one simple objective.

He picked one from the lot, not minding the price or the supposed brand of it. The sound of metal hitting metal was heard. He crouched and retrieved a colorful can, which he cracked open moments later. The brunet drank the fizzy beverage without restraint or intention of savoring it. The drink had no taste either. It was strange to begin with, but he paid it no mind.

The brunet gulped down the drink with effort, despite his hurting throat. As he lowered the can to take a breather, a conversation closing by steadily caught his attention.

"…Uh… I feel really dizzy, Kabuki-san. Everything's like… spinning, and blurry…"

A feminine voice was the first thing that broke the silence. Ayame looked in the direction from where it came from.

Many meters away, crossing the street and walking in his direction, was a girl. She had the uniform of Kuoh Academy, and he quickly understood she was a student just like him. She had black hair with a white hairband on top, green eyes, and a Caucasian complexion. Ayame had probably seen her around school at some point, but understandably forgot about her. She was young enough to be a junior.

As she approached, he noticed her lazy and disordered movements. Her legs tangled and stumbled upon each other, her posture barely firm. Her eyes seemed vacant, dizzy, but not exactly tired. It seemed as if she was confused, unfocused.

Walking alongside her were shady-looking guys. They were older, maybe around their twenties. Ayame knew better than to simply judge by appearance, but he associated their looks with those of the everyday street punks and rats who didn't particularly mean well for others.

One of them was uncomfortably close to the girl, with an arm wrapped around her shoulders. He had very short black hair, and wore a black shirt which showed his pathetically skinny arms, along with baggy red pants. His two equally shady companions didn't register as 'important' inside Ayame's mind, so everything they said and how they looked like bounced off his memory.

The one closest to the girl, which he thought to be the one named 'Kabuki, bared a toothy smile in response to the girl's dispassionate inquiry. He failed to appear amiable, and the brunet was sure he wasn't trying to either way.

"Now, now, dontcha worry Himiko-chan!" he crookedly reassured with a mocking voice and a disgusting accent, as if speaking to an unsuspecting child. "It's just a lil' side effect of the 'candy' I gave you before…"

He pulled out a transparent bag from one of his pockets, and playfully wiggled it in front of the girl's face. Upon closer inspection, Ayame distinguished small circular tables or pills inside. Moments later, he understood the implications.

The girl was drugged.

"Tell ya what, Himiko-chan. I've some friends who want to have some 'fun' with you," he explained. "I'll present you to them, you entertain them a while, and then I give ya the whole bag! How's that sound?"

"Eh… well…" She lacked the energy to respond or think correctly, it seemed. "I… suppose it won't hurt anyone. But I need to return home early, okay…?"

Kabuki smiled wretchedly upon hearing her positive response. "Yeah, yeah, don't ya worry 'bout a single thing. It'll just last a few hours and we'll have lotsa fun~"

Ayame observed as the situation unfolded, and pursed his lips.

The girl was being played by a fool, and somehow, they had managed to drug her. She was in a trance. In such state, it was very easy for them to do whatever they wanted. If the brunet didn't know better, he was sure they would convince her to accompany them, and then rape her. She would be used for their benefit, and she would later be discarded.

Any normal person would have instantly questioned them in regards to their criminal affairs, and possibly stopped them in the act.

Ayame was still set on finishing his drink instead.

This situation didn't especially concern him. He had no reason to stop scum from behaving accordingly, or a moral obligation strong enough to help that girl from having her life ruined. He couldn't care less about what happened in the end, as long as it didn't affect him directly.

Despite his unwillingness to do anything, Kabuki still took notice of Ayame once he was close enough. He rapidly stuffed the bag with drugs inside his pocket, and menacingly glared at the teenager, his face twisting into a repugnant scowl.

"Watcha lookin' at, pretty boy?" snarled the man condescendingly from afar. "Mind yer own business and stare elsewhere, or I'll shove that vending machine up yer ass."

He visibly scowled upon hearing the threat. Thoughts about running up to Kabuki and scooping his eyeballs with his bare fingers came up in his mind, but he quickly pushed them away. Ayame wasn't fond of dirtying his hands with blood or littering the clean streets of Kuoh with human-sized trash. It wouldn't only be messy, it would also make him lose credibility; he was allowed to skip school because his parents trusted him. He had to be tactful about his actions.

"I didn't say anything, retard…" he quietly murmured under his breath as he looked away, sipping his drink once again with rising irritation. He couldn't waste time with an idiot who definitely had negative numbers for IQ points. Training and getting stronger was still the priority.

"Ahhh? Did ya say anythin', Nerd?" responded Kabuki once again, almost yelling. He seemed to have heard Ayame's muttering and understood his gesture. "If ya got somethin' to say, then come 'ere and say it to my face, bitch. If ya don't, then piss off."

His friends laughed and encouraged him to 'break pretty boy's face', while Himiko vacantly stared from one side to the other, still confused about the ordeal. Ayame remained expressionless in the face of his commentaries.

He didn't need anyone to tell him to go away. He had much better things to do than risking unnecessary fights with an unimportant and childish moron he met on the street. And so, he turned heel and began walking away.

…

…

…

Or that was his original decision.

'Fight'… the word buzzed in his head and the uncomfortable feeling of something important he was willingly ignoring tugged at his mind.

Ayame could train - he _was_ going to train a lot, since he already decided his course of action, and he wasn't the kind of person that regretted his choices. He didn't doubt his physical condition would become much better as time went on and as long as he made the required effort to really feel progress.

However, actual fighting skills were another matter. Sooner or later he could boast about having an athlete's prowess and physique, but that never meant he would have enough knowledge to engage in a fight, enough versatility to invent strategies and carry them out, or enough experience to push through difficult situations and make full use of his wits. It was a good reason to resort to violence and turn into a seasoned fighter as soon as possible.…

…And a good excuse for splitting Kabuki's skull in half.

To be better at fighting, he had to fight.

Ayame turned around, and before the criminal's challenging grin and his friend's ever so distant insults and tasteless jokes, he only stared emotionlessly.

"Actually, I do have something to say."

The older man whistled and his smile widened repulsively.

"Oh? Then go ahead, pretty boy."

Ayame hummed, and his lips transformed into a faint and charmless smile. 'Eerie' and 'creepy' were good adjectives to describe it.

"I was just surprised… I didn't know a high school girl could remain so much time so close to an ugly, failed sub-product of society, such as you, and not kill herself by the sheer embarrassment you're putting her through with your mere existence. Have you considered that maybe, just maybe, you're an eyesore to the world and humanity as a whole feels shame when including you in it?"

Silence ensued for a considerable amount of seconds. Kabuki's smile disappeared completely, replaced with a mildly shocked and baffled expression. His friends remained speechless, seemingly not knowing what to make of Ayame's comment.

"You're a pathetic buffoon. Drugging a defenseless girl is such an underhanded performance. Do you honestly believe hurting someone weaker than you will grant you the slightest bit of control and power over your sad life? Your parents must be really disappointed… if you have parents at all. I wouldn't want to shelter such a miserable failure like you if I was your progenitor, frankly speaking."

Ayame's smile vanished soon after. Although he was far from being amiable, he wasn't particularly keen on provoking people for no reason. As such, he tried insulting Kabuki in the harshest way that came to mind to make him angry.

The insult seemed to have the desired effect on the unintelligent goon, as he instantly pulled away from Himiko, and walked with accentuated steps toward Ayame. The neutral scowl on his face was clearly one of annoyance, and his march was that of a typical thug trying to act all strong and brave. The teenager stood his ground, and sooner or later, there was not much space between him and his soon-to-be aggressor.

They were centimeters apart. Kabuki was shorter than Ayame, so the former failed to inspire actual fear or a sense of superiority when put in front of the young man.

"Ya lookin' to get killed, kid?" His reply was filled with enmity and anger, and he seemed moments away from attacking Ayame. "I've met little bitches like you before, who tried to be the white knight in shinin' armor, save the innocent and shit. If ya don't wanna end up like them, that is, either in a hospital or the morgue, then I reckon ya should piss off and stop trying to be the Hero."

The brunet looked down at the man with his normally unexpressive face. However, a hint of contempt twisted his features in a barely perceptible way.

"I'm no Hero," he responded seconds after having a staring match with Kabuki. "I just think you should disappear, as a favor to the planet. But since you clearly don't have humanitarian objectives in mind… I guess I could take your life for you."

If the conversation hadn't been tainted with a sense of hostility before, now it clearly was, and there was no possibility of avoiding a violent conclusion.

The man roughly grabbed Ayame by the collar, bringing him close in a forceful manner. The brunet noticed how Kabuki's other hand mingled in his pocket, and inside it, a sharp figure pushing against his pants.

He had a knife.

This was bad. There were not a lot of people around at that time of the afternoon, meaning no one would come and help him if things got extremely ugly. He had no weapons to defend himself either.

…Interestingly enough, he didn't mind the handicap. He had to contain a creeping smile from twisting his expression at the anticipation of a bloody conflict, and the odds against him.

"Ya talking mad shit for someone who's gonna get trashed, buddy," he said in response to the teenager's threat against him. "Any last words you wanna spare, sassy mutt?"

Ayame closed his eyes and relaxed, trying to not be brusque and risk getting injured just yet. He moved his head backwards, until his face was staring in the direction of the sky.

"…Yes, I do have something else to say."

And then, quickly, he brought his head down once again with great speed.

**CRACK-!**

"Sleep and don't ever wake up again."

Ayame smashed his forehead against Kabuki's face, not allowing him any time to react or speak.

A loud creaking resounded throughout the empty street. The delinquent lost his posture and began stumbling from one side to another, head violently shaking from the impact of the head-butt. As he was driven to his knees and forced to cover his face from the strike, the attacker was able to see red liquid flowing down Kabuki's skin and onto the ground. The brunet managed to break his opponent's nose.

Yet, such injury didn't stop the older man from languidly getting up after a few seconds of tense silence. Ayame steeled himself for the upcoming charge, which was effectively carried out moments later.

"Y-You… You little motherfucker…!"

And Kabuki ran after the young man.

He approached, and Ayame saw a glint. The knife he had hidden inside his pocket until now was taken out, small blade glimmering in his field of vision.

The delinquent thrust his knife forward without restraint or hesitation. Albeit it was a crude attack, with no technique or precision behind it, it was still able to kill. The weapon was aimed at his chest.

Ayame couldn't use his right hand, as he was still holding his drink. Therefore, he decided to stop the incoming attack with his left hand.

At the very last moment, Ayame forcefully slapped Kabuki's hand away and sidestepped, changing the course of the knife.

Unfortunately, he couldn't completely avoid it. The blade grazed his neck and sliced through it deep enough. Blood spilled.

One of his carotid arteries was ripped apart in the process. Thick liquid began pouring out with great pressure from that large gash on his neck. His throat flooded with blood from the inside. Ayame felt his skin opening, along with one of the most important passages of blood in the human body.

And he was dead. He was definitely dead.

He made a mistake - no human was capable of surviving for too long with a cut carotid artery, and coupled with the fact nobody was going to help him, his demise was now assured. The only thing left to do was to roll on the ground and pathetically bleed to death.

Yet, as if to delay his inevitable end, the world slowed down.

A shock of electricity travelled throughout his left arm, just moments after slapping Kabuki's hand with it. His insides felt like they were on fire. Some form of lucid dizziness took ahold of his mind as his vision unfocused on everything else, except the enemy in front of him. His body was lighter, and his muscles tensed up.

His heart started to beat at an accelerated pace.

Ayame couldn't explain this feeling. He felt energized, full of vigor. His mind and body had both entered in an adrenaline-induced reverie.

He couldn't understand why he was experiencing this, or why was it happening right now specifically. But he knew one crucial thing, now that he was inevitably injured with a mortal wound - he couldn't let it go to waste. If he was going to die for his recklessness, then he needed to take Kabuki down with him.

Ayame gently placed his feet on the ground as he stepped back. He was slightly faster than the world around him, which seemed to be submerged in the bottom of the tranquil ocean. The delinquent, still set on finishing him off, took another step forward.

Kabuki moved his knife back, and then thrust it forward again with the intention of killing Ayame.

Six seconds had already passed since everything 'froze'. The teenager felt as everything returned to its normal speed. In reality, he was the one getting slower. The sudden rush of energy that was making his chances of survival dramatically rise up was vanishing. In that narrow gap of time between the end of a life-threatening action and the start of another, he pushed his thought process to the limits and formulated a fitting course of actions to defeat his opponent.

Seven seconds. The knife was a few centimeters away before reaching its objective.

Eight seconds. Ayame tightened his hand around the drink he was enjoying moments ago.

Nine seconds. Bloody steel whistled dangerously as it closed distances with Ayame's heart, fully intending to perforate it.

Ten seconds-

**Shick-!**

The knife stopped dead cold, powerfully impacting against a target and definitely piercing it in the process. A metallic screeching rang inside both men's ears.

Both looked down,

Ayame had intercepted the knife with the can he was holding. It was torn apart, and its liquids were spilling down on the ground.

The teenager looked at his opponent again. The world had regained its natural flow of time, and he had no time to waste.

He pulled the older man towards him, got under his guard-

**BAM!**

-And delivered a powerful uppercut on his chin with his left hand. The strike was strong enough to suspend him mid-air for a fraction of a second, before he fell on his back.

He stared at the man, who now lay completely immobile. A dark bruise was already forming on his face. He was completely knocked out, and he didn't seem like he was getting up anytime soon.

Ayame coughed, and then covered his open neck. The blood loss was going to kill him, in a few minutes. There was no time to go to a hospital, and no way to stop the leak. He had already won this battle, and the only thing left to do was to die in silence…

…

…

…

"…What?"

…Or that appeared to be the case at first.

He touched his bloody skin, and searched the wound with his fingers.

Yet, upon performing a physical inspection, Ayame understood there was no wound. Albeit his pale form was stained with red, no blood was seeping out anymore. There was no pain, or large gash on his neck. His flesh was completely smooth, and the cut artery showed no sign of having been sliced clean.

Ayame took his hand off, and stared at it. Fresh blood dried up on his palm.

The brunet smiled. His empty blue eyes were still devoid of actual feelings.

"…Just my imagination, I suppose," he said with a hint of self-mockery. "I'm not one to complain if I live a little longer, anyway."

He then redirected his attention towards the other delinquents. They wore surprised facades upon seeing their companion unconscious on the ground, before staring at him with a mix of animosity and wariness. They pushed Himiko aside, who stood with an empty expression on a corner of the street.

Ayame clenched his fists. He breathed in one time. Thick, steely liquid dripped from the corner of his lips.

"What are you waiting for?" the teenager questioned with a slightly impatient voice. "Come on, attack me. I already defeated your friend, so it would only be right for you to strike me down too."

And understandably enough, seconds after muttering his provocation, both men lunged at him while spewing curses and insults.

"Good." Ayame steeled himself before his new opponents and smiled. "Don't hold back."

* * *

**\- ~DxD~ -**

In one certain spring afternoon, Issei Hyoudou lazily pedaled his bike across the road after being dismissed from school.

His usually smiley face was nowhere to be seen, replaced with one of exasperation coupled with wishful daydreaming. As a matter of fact, he was in a bad mood. The only reason he wasn't openly annoyed with his luck was because he didn't want to crash against a wall or a person for it. Besides, staying positive and strong-willed was his life policy.

Yet, he wondered how positive he could remain when the problems he had to face weren't chasing after pretty girls or not flunking in school anymore.

Life had regained a superficial cover of normalcy. On the exterior, there wasn't much difference in his day-to-day from before. Issei himself didn't feel any actual change, unless he started thinking about matters deeply enough, something anyone else would have done in his place.

He was a Devil.

At first the shift appeared to be in name only. Neither his body nor his lifestyle seemed to be too affected, but on the long term, it was a very different story. Once the implications caught up to him, things weren't so nice anymore and he couldn't remain an uncaring and ignorant seventeen years old.

He was a Devil, which meant he wasn't a human anymore. He was a mere servant, forever and unwillingly tied by some voodoo-like magic contract to a more powerful Devil. He had a Sacred Gear or something inside of him, created by Go… _that_ guy. A lot of people hated his guts and were out for his blood already because he was a Devil and had Sacred Gear on top of it, and-

"Aaagh, this is stupid!" he yelled to no one in particular, cursing his situation and cutting off his discouraging train of thought at the same time. "Just thinking 'bout it gives me a freaking headache!"

A headache, unfortunately, was the least of his worries. There was a gigantic pile of bullshit related to magic and murderous Angels he admittedly wasn't fully comprehending as of yet. In every direction he looked at, he saw a new reason to be mildly scared. Maybe there was an actual reason to be constantly on edge. Most probably, he was just exaggerating.

In the span of a few days after _that_ night, Rias Gremory requested his presence once again in the clubhouse. After going through some formal explanations and filling forms, he was officially part of the Occult Research Club - ORC, for short.

Obviously, nobody asked him if he wanted to join. And he wasn't particularly keen on rejecting the whole thing, as he wasn't sure what would have happened if he decided to be unnecessarily rebellious. It was better to have knowledgeable allies—or just people who didn't actively want to murder him—alongside him. He felt alien in a whole new world that clearly wasn't going to be nice with him, and somebody to guide him was appreciated.

The club itself was just a cover, a front to blend in and hide the existence of Devils in a normal high school setting. Since they were all teenagers—and Issei was grateful they actually were what they looked like—it was easy to exploit such falsehood and do whatever they wanted with the pretext of club activities.

Now in a calmer mood, Issei finally met all of the club members - extravagant people who all had their certain quirk, in greater or smaller amounts. There was Kiba Yuuto, a blonde bastard that acted like an innocent playboy, who Issei despised for his luck with ladies; Koneko Toujou, a silent and cute junior, and Akeno Himejima, the vice-president of the club, who was… weird, once he got to exchange more words with her.

He didn't know what to think of them, honestly. Albeit Kiba was already on his bad side for obvious reasons, the rest of them were a mystery to him. He would get to know them… in time.

School had finished for the day, but the boy couldn't go home just yet. Being a servant wasn't just for show; he was actually forced to do some things Rias ordered him to do.

_-The main responsibility of a servant is to form contracts with humans, and convince them to wish for something in exchange of their soul. _

_As you may remember, the day I saved you, you coincidentally were given a flier with a summoning spell by one of my familiars on the street. That's our main way of contacting with those who are interested in our services. Your first objective will be handing those fliers to the common folk. Once you've given out enough of them, you'll wait for a client to call through them._

_If you manage to charm your customer and make them happy in whatever way they want, then it's your task to ask them for their soul as payment. You make them shed a little bit of blood on the summoning paper they used, and the deal is officially complete._

_This will create a 'link', which passes through you, and connects it with me from afar. _

_You will constantly take a small percentage of the client's soul, while I take most of it since I'm your master. At the end of this client's lifespan, I will assimilate their life essence completely, and they won't be allowed to be seized by Heaven, Valhalla, or any kind of afterlife that comes to mind. That is the ultimate price to pay. They'll live a normal, uninterrupted life regardless. _

_Contracts are like a 'supply trade', and they're extremely helpful for absorbing undiluted souls. Since we Devils are beings susceptible to strong emotions and thoughts, this exchange helps our souls grow vastly stronger through the consumption of people's raw feelings imprinted in the core of their existence. This way, we keep our own feelings in check instead of letting them run wild for power, and we don't make the same hard effort it would take to reach that level of strength. _

_You can basically think we're 'eating' our customers. In ancient times, we did eat them… physical body included. Since times and general tastes have changed, we use less messy, more efficient methods. _

_You're not, under any circumstance, allowed to be forceful with your customers. The idea is to make them believe that our service is of high quality and little cost; in the case they regret their decision once the contract is fully carried out, it'll be their problem and not ours, as they willingly agreed to give out their life essence. We don't need to waste time with them._

_Pretty easy to understand, right Ise?_

_Cheer up! It's not as shady as I'm probably making it sound, and the customers are more often than not satisfied. Besides, this will help you amass power until you find your own inner strength. I know it's tedious and sometimes unnecessarily complicated, but all of us have gone through it at some point. Go out there and make me proud-_

"-Or so she said. But… man, this is tougher than it looks."

Rias had sent him on a seemingly endless mission to make random people happy, so he could get their 'souls'. It was as nonsensical as it sounded, but at least he grasped the general gist of it. Besides, he only had to take care of the job in the afternoon and go back home at night. He was given a lot of free reign, meaning he had no reason to decline or slack off.

No, the actual problem was dealing with the people he had to please. Some of their wishes were stupidly ridiculous, like magically making them millionaires, or getting them a gorgeous girlfriend. Things that Issei Hyoudou, much to his chagrin in regards to the latter in specific, was unable to fulfill. He went around this difficulty and many of them spent a good time with the brunet by playing games, watching TV series, or forcing him to give massages and such… but they still refused to complete the contract because he was a 'fraud'. Because he couldn't make their wishes come true.

…Even then, what was he supposed to do? Again, he only seemed to be a Devil in name only. Albeit he saw magic firsthand, that didn't mean he could use any of it to perform miracles. Hell, even Rias stated his magic reserves were alarmingly non-existent. He couldn't even use teleportation magic—magic really was useful for everything, apparently— and go to his clients' whereabouts instead of pedaling from one corner of Kuoh to another like a dumbass.

The sweet side of the deal was that, supposedly, Issei had the possibility of cutting ties with Rias and be free. He could even gather his very own peerage. If he gained enough reputation in the Underworld, and enough noble families or even one Demon Lord recognized him, he would become an honorary noble too.

But that was far, far, far away from his puny human capabilities, and far, far, far too much responsibility to handle when he was still just getting started on the whole Devil shtick. Besides, as much as he was still set on forming a harem of beautiful women… taking slaves by force didn't appeal to him in the slightest. He was no that kind of guy, and he wouldn't fulfill his wishes with those kind of unscrupulous methods.

Still, he was grateful in some way of doing this. Dealing with greedy individuals was infinitely better than going out and fight against inhuman monsters… like Yuuma.

Rias had only told him the necessary about magic, Devils, and the rightful precautions he needed to exert. Issei didn't boast about being the brightest person on Earth, but at least he wasn't completely clueless about why she didn't fully introduce him into this new world. He was aware his upperclassman couldn't and wouldn't let him off the hook, as she had saved his life; she did want a rightful compensation for that. However, Rias wasn't so callous as to throw him into the nastiest situation when he had been living a normal human life just a few days before.

Henceforth, this little routine was much better than what he had anticipated.

Deep inside, he was still particularly discouraged about being a Devil. Not so much for the new responsibilities it entailed, but more about how he became a supernatural creature in the first place.

Even now, he still felt a dizzying, sharp pain in the center of his abdomen. Such scar, not on his skin, but in his mind, brought to light certain memories that filled him with an uncomfortable sense of trepidation. And yes, what kind of person wouldn't feel uncomfortable when remembering that their first serious love in life had stabbed them through the stomach and left them to die?

It was cruel. Of course, Yuuma didn't actually love him and her interests were clearly pointed elsewhere. However, was that enough reason to play with a guy's feelings and then ruthlessly kill him after their very first date together? The answer was obviously no, and that denoted that Yuuma Amano was someone with very little chances of forgiveness.

Still… he couldn't help but to fantasize. What if she had never killed him? What if she was a normal human girl? What if she actually loved him…?

"Tch… no, that's not good. Why am I getting all teary-eyed over something like this?"

He shook his head and his saddened expression became one of resoluteness fairly quickly.

"Yuuma ain't a girl worth cryin' over," he declared to no one in particular confidently, as if giving himself an important advice. "Chasing after a bitch like her would only make me look bad. I mean, I'm not the perfect guy, but I'm definitely better person than she is…."

And that's why he wouldn't waste energy thinking about the 'what ifs' or the 'buts'. He had a shitty first date and got murdered, but he was alive now. His brother was also alive. There were reasons to sulk as there were reasons to smile and take it easy, and he was much eager to do the latter.

"Besides, I'm gonna kick her ass next time I see her!" he blurted out for everyone to hear, and some passerby did stop to stare at him dumbfounded.

Issei firmly believed women were the most beautiful creatures on earth. For him to hit a woman without a damn good reason was as crazy as thinking that the creepy moron of Ayame would ever be able to maintain a stable relationship with another human.

However, Yuuma deserved it. So maybe she was privileged to be the first woman Issei wanted to lynch…? Eh, it didn't matter as long as they didn't see each other ever again. Not to mention that Issei was a weakling in all aspects, so he could only wish to kick that woman's pretty behind…

He shook his head once again. He needed to concentrate. There was a job that needed to be done and he wanted to go home already. Thinking about his not-girlfriend was annoying.

As he mulled over his next destination, and the fact that he was terrible at bribing people to sell their souls, Issei remembered another piece of useful advice.

Rias had indeed anticipated that this task would be a tad bit complicated for him. So she gave him a special 'gift'. Said gift was a small, circular pendant of a dark color stuffed in his left pocket. It was an absolute insurance that would supposedly help him fulfill any wish of any customer.

Yet, this gift had a very particular downside-

_-I know what you're thinking, Ise. 'How do I fulfill an absurd and inconceivable wish?'_

_We Devils aren't genies, despite how many literary works and legends have painted us as seemingly perfect wishing machines over time. It's not like we can perform incredible feats that aren't within our areas of expertise and ability, and we're not supposed to. _

_The answer to these problems is the 'amulet'. Noble Devils are given a set of special charms specifically devised for these situations._

_They're mostly useless decorations, and they only serve one purpose._

_Devil magic is a special kind. Our souls mainly respond to the ideas of 'desire' and 'imagination'. We're one of the most versatile magic users, in the sense that we can carry out incredible miracles with magic if our conviction is great enough, and if we have enough Seele to manifest them in the real world. _

_This amulet is imbued with a very rare Devil power, which is therefore granted temporarily to the person who uses it. It will absorb the soul of the user, and in return, it will implant the concept of 'extreme luck' in them._

_It's a simple magic trick that forces the Fate of the owner to change in one specific direction or result that said owner wants._

_Let's say… I want to be rich. In response to this, the amulet will forcibly establish a link with my soul and drain it, completing the contract without my express consent. Then, in the short-term, I'll probably win the lottery or find a valuable treasure through sheer coincidence. _

_It's a power that exacerbates a certain trait of the person who uses it, and then allows said person to do something that they would normally never be able to do. If we think about it deeply, we can say we're affecting and twisting a microscopic bit of the world's natural order to do something that, under normal circumstances, should be impossible. _

_However, this magic is not free. It's extremely powerful, and only powerful people are able to use it without paying a high price for it…_

_You see, souls are very valuable. They are the cornerstone for magic itself. Without soul, there's no magic. And for someone to use a magic so mighty without a spirit strong enough to withstand its cost… what do you think will happen, Ise?_

_Using this amulet will completely dry your clients of their life essence, since they're not strong enough to use magic. They will be become empty husks, and sooner or later, they will die of 'natural' causes since the body cannot function without its soul. _

_Oh… I'm sorry Ise. It wasn't my intention to scare you._

_Think of it this way; it's a last measure. It's completely optional, and using it would be the easy way out. If you want to become a good Devil, you need to polish your wits too! Convince your customers that they will have a good time with you, and I'm sure you'll never need to think about using that thing. _

_Our job is to make them happy, and not kill them for a short moment of contentedness. I'm sure you will manage-_

-And that was the reason he still hadn't formed a single contract.

Issei was frustrated he couldn't get his job done. On top of not wanting to fall behind, he also desired to repay Rias for saving his life and giving him another chance. However, he didn't want to take a shortcut to fulfill his duty if that meant becoming a murderer. He couldn't kill others just to excuse his failure.

Though being a failure held a positive connotation right now. It was the proof that Issei hadn't stooped so low as to take lives to solve a transient issue; an issue that sooner or later he would fix, without paying a terrible cost for it.

This obviously meant he would remain a slave to someone else a little longer. Although the idea still irked him from time to time, it wasn't overly unbearable. He wasn't treated too badly, and Rias behaved a bit too much in a sisterly way for him to get angry at her.

Issei didn't really dislike the redhead. Yes, this matter about turning into a Devil seemed fishy in all regards, but with a master like that he didn't see himself complaining too much in the future.

And, as the brunet remembered that woman, he also remembered one crucial fact about her; something that, for Issei, was a very important piece of information that couldn't be overlooked if the thought of Rias took shelter in his mind. It would have been a thing of insolence most egregious to ignore that specific reality.

Rias Gremory was very, _very_ sexy, indeed.

The number of times Issei had set his sights on the gorgeous, beautiful bombshell that was his upperclassman had surely passed the triple digits at this point in time. From the time he was still fresh blood in high school, and right now that he was a fully teenaged boy, it was quite impossible for him to pry his eyes away from her every time she happened to stride in the same hallway as him. Her entire being exuded royalty and finesse, and everyone seemed to understand that hers was not a normal kind of excellence in some degree.

At the same time, Rias wasn't just a pretty face. She was also considered one of the best students in Kuoh, even if her intelligence wasn't as valued as her looks. Her academic performance, in percentage, was one of the highest, only trailing behind Ayame himself and the Student Council President.

He was compelled to say she was a perfect woman, but he knew there were no perfect things in the world. Still, she edged pretty close to being one.

There was also a certain air around her - as if everyone was naturally attracted to Rias just with her mere presence. Issei remembered from bedtime stories and internet explorations that Demons were normally portrayed as great seducers, and for someone without conviction and rigidity, it was complicated to reject their tempting offers. Maybe she, being a Devil and all, produced the same effect on others…?

"No, no, focus Issei," he said to himself as he shook his head from side to side, interrupting his train of thought. "This ain't the time to be thinkin' about those things. Yes, I still gotta collect souls and all…"

Yet his absentminded smile and mild blush betrayed his noble intentions to keep working seriously. If he had the opportunity of admiring her beauty, even if he was brought into a deal with somewhat unappealing conditions, he didn't quite mind being hers…

"Agh, focus you horny bastard!" Issei yelled, frustrated at his own inability to remain neutral at the thought of a cute woman. "I can think about her once I'm done with this."

Yes. He still needed to reach his client's house.

"So… I take a few turns, pass by the Shirogami station, and I should stop in front of an apartment complex…"

He kept pedaling, sightseeing his surroundings without much care. There were some people in the streets, most of them students from Kuoh Academy that were already returning home after a long day. There was a sunny weather, and some of them having fun outside wouldn't have been weird.

At some point, Issei found himself in a small intersection in front of an equally small park, just before reaching the residential area. As he stopped to acclimatize himself with his current location, he noticed something strange in one corner of the street.

There was a cluster of around ten people rounding up a specific spot. Others walked by with stressed grimaces upon seeing what was causing such commotion, reaction which elicited an amused expression from Issei. He stood there, undecided, until he shrugged his shoulders.

"I suppose it can't hurt to take a peek."

So he decided to approach, getting off from his bike in the process. When he was close enough, he tapped a person's shoulder to call for his attention.

"Hey, what's going on?" Issei inquired as he curiously tried to raise his head above the crowd and see.

The stranger briefly turned around and answered with a dull voice. "There's a fight up ahead. Apparently, there's a bunch of brats fighting over a girl."

That was certainly weird. A love quarrel, however intense it may have been, wasn't something known to bring unnecessary heaps of attention like this. Some were watching with frightened faces. Others were cheering. Issei concluded it was just that heated up.

He managed to saunter through the people, always maintaining a hold on his trusty bike. The teenager came out into the open, and his eyes widened upon visually processing the outright idiotic situation unfolding before him.

A young man around Issei's age was having an incredibly violent fight against two guys older than him. Splatters of blood soared and stained the pavement as both parties injured each other, tearing skin apart and breaking bones with powerful and savage strikes. The exchange of blows could be heard at a prudential distance, and Issei himself was sure he wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of them.

Yet, upon closer inspection, he discerned another important matter.

The person fighting against the adults was Ayame.

His face was bruised, left check swollen and already turning purple. His left eye was bloodshot, ruining its tranquil color. His clothes were ruined, product of being thrown around like a ragdoll. Whenever Ayame inevitably opened his mouth to take a breath, the younger boy could appreciate bloodstained teeth.

Despite his horrid appearance, it didn't seem like he was about to surrender.

Those were nasty hits he was getting, grave enough to cause injuries worthy of a hospitalization. The older teenager couldn't fight against two people at the same time. For every time Ayame hit one of them, he was hit back two times. But, no matter how bad he was hurt, the brunet wouldn't go down.

Upon acknowledging the participants of the conflict, Issei instantly moved forward.

This wasn't the time to think about the 'how' or 'why'. The person getting hurt in front of him was his brother. Helping him was out of question!

"Hey, ugly! Get away from him!"

Issei left his bike behind, and with a sudden surge of bravery, he kicked up the ground and charged against one of the attackers.

Said attacker took notice of Issei's voice and turned his head around, although he was too late to stop the teenager. The young boy tackled the man, lifted him up from the ground, and crashed with him against a wall. He was slightly surprised he actually managed to surpass in strength a grown man, although such phenomenon was just another characteristic of a Devil.

The other thug and Ayame stared with confusion at Issei the moment he interceded. He wrestled with the man and tried to restrain him, all while giving his older brother a confident smile.

"I've… I've got him, bro. Take care of the other…!"

The man grunted, and began shaking Issei off of him.

"You little bastard, get away from me-!"

An ungraceful punch caught Issei's face as his opponent freed himself from his grasp. The teenager didn't let go, and in consequence of the balance loss, they both fell to the ground together in a rough mess of entangled bodies. Issei ended up at the bottom of the struggle, and his more corpulent adversary towered over him.

**Thud!**

Another blow struck Issei's cheek.

His sight became blurry for a millisecond. Pain appeared moments later as the reality of him being hurt became apparent to his brain, which had quickly recovered from the momentary shock.

He wasn't good at fighting. Issei Hyoudou could barely boast about having participated in a few brawls in his entire life, and even then, he wasn't on the winning end in most of them. He wasn't particularly tilted towards violence, and this was something he was definitely not prepared for.

However, being prepared or not for something like this wasn't the point. It didn't matter if he was going to the hospital for being an idiot and intruding in someone else's business.

Issei couldn't let his brother get beaten to death. If he had to get a few broken bones and some injuries to not let that happen, he didn't care.

The young Hyoudou defended himself in any way he was capable of. He raised his arms above his head and received punch after punch, sometimes striking between small intervals and barely grazing the man's skin as he dodged.

At some point, he couldn't simply fend off his opponent any longer, who was lucky enough to hold an advantageous position. The moment Issei relaxed, he received a powerful punch square on his forehead.

The back of his head bumped painfully against the warm pavement, courtesy of the punch. His dizziness was worsening by the second. He couldn't register the world around him correctly. The face of the person hurting him was blurred down. His hands lost strength, and a headache formed inside of his skull.

Issei groaned in pain, not able to stop the man above him anymore.

And, just as he was about to be beaten into unconsciousness…

"Don't forget who your real enemy is, you lowly rat."

…A voice Issei knew all too well spoke just alongside.

As the thug turned his head around, along with Issei, they both saw a shadow standing in front of them.

Ayame stared down at his brother and his attacker. His skin was bruised and blood steadily flowed from many of his facial orifices.

He silently raised one of his long legs-

**CRACK!**

-And potently kicked the man's face in that small moment of confusion. A horrid creaking resounded from that strike. Issei, through his daze, concluded the thug lost a tooth or had his nose broken.

That didn't matter nearly as much as the fact that now, Issei had an opportunity to turn the odds.

The boy ignored any physical pain, and despite his hurting head, he forced his body to get up. Once he was close enough, Issei launched the most powerful strike with all the strength he could muster, landing it on the same place Ayame had just hit before.

**BAM!**

Surprisingly enough, this punch was strong enough to send the man flying many meters away. He crashed on a nearby wall, rolled a few times, and ended up sprawled flat on his back on the ground.

Issei shook his head seconds later to shake off his disorientation, and then stared at his fist as if it was a mighty yet foreign entity.

"M-Man… did really I do that?"

As the lack of response became apparent—and he knew there were better things that to ask for something with an obvious answer—, Issei decided to push that thought into the depths of his mind.

Just as he was about to use the wall as support, a pale hand appeared stretched before him as a helping gesture. He raised his sight, and saw his brother expressionlessly trying to lift him up.

The young brother smiled, and took ahold of his older brother's hand.

"Thanks, bro."

Ayame remained wordless as he aided his sibling and they both stood at almost the same height. In spite of his bloody and horrible appearance, he didn't seem to mind his injuries at all. The young man behaved with a strong-willed demeanor that was particularly hard to miss.

"…I never asked for your help, Issei," stated the brunet while looking at another direction. "But I suppose your intromission was still beneficial, in a way. Thanks."

Issei put both hands above the back of his head, showing a content smile. "Ahhh, you're making me blush, Ayame. I just saw a cranky and ill-humored damsel in distress, and it just happened to be my big 'sister'. I couldn't stay put and not help, ya know?"

Ayame grumbled with irritation, and then spit saliva mixed with blood on the pavement, licking his teeth in the process.

"Save your shitty jokes for another time. We have other matters in our hands." He pointed a finger towards a certain direction of the street. Issei followed with his sight.

There, behind the now numerous and slightly disconcerted crowds of people, was a police car cautiously stationed at a certain distance. From it, two policemen got off and approached the scene with marked steps and an air of impassiveness.

"Oh," Isse muttered under his breath.

"Yes, oh indeed," said Ayame in response as he lowered his hand. "This is actually… very fun."

Issei didn't know what was worse. If Ayame's monotone voice as he spouted something that could only be cataloged as 'bullshit' or his unchanged visage as he attentively stared at the policemen walking up to them.

"Sorry, could you remind me where the fun in all of this…is?"

Ayame didn't respond, and maybe that was for the best.

* * *

**\- ~DxD~ -**

Two darkened figures stood before a police station, one of the many in Kuoh. The sun was already setting. The lights of numerous building all across the beautiful city began to shine as afternoon morphed into evening, night steadily approaching and darkness spreading its temporary reign over the sky.

Ayame and Issei stood side by side a few meters away from the entrance of the precinct, the younger brother holding onto his bike.

Both siblings seemed roughed up, having many injuries in many parts of their bodies from their recent fight. Ayame was visibly worse, having to paste gauze with band aids on his swollen cheek.

Although the older brother still wore a perpetual façade of neutrality and even looked relaxed, the younger brother could barely stop the irritation and rising anger from twisting his features in an unsightly manner. It wasn't complicated to understand the tranquility of one and the indignation of the other.

After their little skirmish, they had been taken into custody by the police. It took hours of fierce questioning, unnerving silences—particularly from Ayame—and stuttering responses—courtesy of Issei—before they were allowed to step out to the street with their freedom still intact. A serious warning was admittedly better than being directly charged as criminals and Ayame was surprisingly convincing when lying about his age to pass off as a young adult, so their end result was much less problematic than having their parents find out. The brothers agreed on that small mischief.

The real criminals in question were caught red-handed with their drugs, so they weren't getting out anytime soon. The girl, Himiko, was picked up by her parents and probably taken to the hospital.

Everything was fine… or that was what Issei told himself in an attempt to not strangle Ayame out of spite. Besides, the police station was just right behind. He didn't want to get in jail for real.

"Dude," said Issei with a strangely calm tone of voice. "Are you, like, retarded or somethin'?"

Ayame kept looking at the same direction, as if he wasn't listening. His expression didn't change.

"Depends on what type of retardation we're talking about," he shot back disinterestedly. "Is it the kind of social retardation you pridefully exhibit whenever you sexually harass women, perhaps? I'm not knowledgeable of the ways of deviant losers like you, if that's the case."

Issei chuckled drily, mimicking his brother's gesture and refusing to look at him.

"No, it's more like the 'I fight against actual criminals barehanded in broad daylight' kind of retardation." Sarcasm and a bit of resentment clung to Issei's speech and he probably was trying to get those specific sentiments across. "I'm really tempted to call you a 'stupid motherfucker', but mom is the best person in the world and I ain't calling her names she doesn't deserve just 'cause you're a gigantic dickhead."

Issei's head dropped moments later as he let out an exasperated sigh.

"Ugh, mom… she's gonna kill us if she hears 'bout this."

Ayame shrugged uncaringly, producing a non-committed sound. "She won't."

"…The hell you're talkin' about, idiot?" commented Issei seconds later as if Ayame had suddenly said something insane. "Did you forget mom is Chief Inspector or you're just stupid on purpose? She's definitely gonna get word of this sooner or later…"

"Mother is a klutz outside of work, and I'm sure she prefers to act and think like an actual housewife instead of a policewoman when she's home," affirmed the older brother as a matter of fact. "Besides, this problem hasn't escalated far too much. I don't think it'll reach her anytime soon."

His reassurance did naught to calm down Issei, who kept grumbling and sighing infuriatedly. The brothers knew better than to invoke their mother's harsher side by having her know they participated in a crime, even if it was to stop it.

Still…

"Next time don't interfere in my fights."

That didn't seem to stop the older teenager from spouting stupidities.

Issei felt the veins inside his head swell up with blood, hundreds of curses and insults filling his mind. Punching Ayame and ruining his girlish face was a thought too sweet and strong to simply ignore it.

"Oh, trust me. The last thing I wanna do is get involved in weird and dangerous shit that might just get me freaking killed," stated the younger brother. "But I can't exactly do that if my numbskull of a brother risks his life and I gotta help him because of it."

"Who says I needed help?" shot back Ayame once again. "Whatever I do and whoever I do it with is none of your business, unless specified otherwise. I deal with my problems and you deal with yours. Go play Hero with someone else."

Issei snorted.

"Yer really one confident snowflake, aren't you brother?"

Ayame slowly craned his neck and moved his head in Issei's direction. Issei did the same, and both siblings locked sight with each other.

For a considerable number of seconds, neither of them said anything. Then-

"Perverted trash."

"Closeted gay."

The insults were murmured at the same moment and with great precision. They remained silent for a while more, and renewed the intensity in their stares.

"I'm not gay, dipshit."

"Loving women is normal, you ass!"

After some seconds passed, they slightly recoiled from the other, as if they were disgusted from the physical proximity. It didn't take much longer before they steeled themselves one last time and spoke again.

"Stalking and harassing women is a crime."

"You'll never get a girlfriend while acting like an asshole!"

Issei bit his lip and Ayame's left eye began twitching.

"Virgin wimp."

"EDGELORD!"

A definite silence signaled the end of the back and forth of insults. Issei openly blushed and groaned as he covered his face with one hand in shame, seemingly affected by Ayame's commentaries. Ayame himself raised one eyebrow in apparent confusion, cupping his chin in the process.

"…What's an Edgelord?"

Issei groaned even louder and began rubbing his face violently, not answering his older sibling's question.

"…You're a goddamn bitch, Ayame." The one being insulted in question didn't seem shaken in the slightest upon hearing that. "You can be rude, and you can be insufferable as always… but there are some things you should never say in life, dude."

Being called a 'virgin' was a hit below the belt for Issei, as said word was the one that best expressed his status in terms of romantic relationships or just closeness with women in general. His already sour mood wasn't faring much better now that his more intimate fears were so shamelessly exposed.

"Issei, this is a serious question," assured Ayame as he stole interested glances at empty spaces, seemingly entranced with doubts that wouldn't leave his mind alone. "What's an Edgelord? Is it supposed to be a derogative term?"

"…The serious question is how _you_ wouldn't know what it means. You're the laziest person on existence with a computer at hand." Issei stopped grumbling and his defeated expression was the only sign of his unrest at that moment. "There's this thing called internet. Consider usin' it more often instead of asking dumb questions."

Ayame _pouted_—or something similar—at the lack of an answer, but didn't follow his train of thought any further.

They started walking away from the station and into the slowly obscuring streets, intent on finally going home after a long day. The conversation inched away from their problem with the delinquents and turned into some kind of deliberate miscommunication as both parties seemed to focus on different talking topics, at least at the beginning. Silliness subsided and was replaced with seriousness instead.

"Hey, bro…" murmured the younger teenager. After trailing off a little, he continued. "…Thanks a lot for what you did today."

Ayame stared at him from his peripheral vision, emotionless.

"Why?" His short question was quickly followed by its clarifying sentence. "I haven't done anything that deserves any gratitude today. Not to mention you were angry with me for my course of action."

Issei massaged the back of his head, looking away.

"Dude, isn't it obvious? Being angry doesn't have anything to do with your little scene being good or bad. You're my family. Seeing you gettin' hurt is horrible for me already."

His bluntly honest clarification wasn't met with an appropriate response, as Ayame decided to stay mute. Another brief pause later, Issei spoke.

"Anyway, I said I wanted to thank you," he repeated, eyes diverting towards the ground. "If you hadn't stopped those bastards, they would have done horrible things to that girl. You really saved her, bro."

Ayame openly cringed at his brother's specific choice of words. His face contorted as if he had seen something gross. He closed his eyes and took a deep, conspicuous breath.

"Don't be mistaken," warned the brunet with a neutral voice as always. "My first and foremost intention was to fight against those crooked men. Saving the girl was a favorable coincidence, so you shouldn't express gratitude for something I didn't want to do."

Issei sighed at the dry reply, shaking his head. His visibly tired legs took long and trippy steps, shoes producing wet sounds as they met the damp ground of the nocturnal street.

"Dude, c'mon. Stop saying such creepy things and accept a compliment for once. You saved an innocent person even though it was dangerous for you, and that makes you a good person already."

His tone was final, which meant he wasn't going to accept any other attempt of denial if it came to it. Ayame specially perked up at the last phrase, and even though he didn't seem really invested in discussing, he couldn't help but to whisper to himself as an indirect response.

"I suppose not all good people have good intentions if we follow your belief…"

Issei didn't hear that last commentary. It wouldn't have had changed anything either way.

They kept strolling.

The brothers walked and walked. They marched through the loneliest parts of the city and apparently avoided the most metropolitan districts, the ones bustling with activity and shining with skyscrapers' lights, on purpose.

Kuoh was a considerably large town of strong contrasts. The city center was full liveliness and scintillations, an expression of the city's potent focus on urbanization and modern luxuries centralized in a specific delimitation; past a certain distance, there were the tranquil residential areas mixed with rural zones morphing into a seemingly different city full of the day-to-day's ordinariness. There were people of all kinds living there, all easily adapting to the constantly shifting town. It was easily one of Japan's hidden gems in terms of touristic destinations, obscured by other giants like Tokyo or Osaka.

Both Issei and Ayame were accustomed to said town's violent contrasts, knowing both the energized atmosphere of the city's heart and the calm, almost boring context of its smaller surroundings.

Nonetheless of the eerie and spine-chilling silence they experienced in the residential areas, the siblings still walked without a care in the world, lacking hurry of any kind. It was the kind of lonely and stalled sentiment they grew up with, belonging to the calmer parts of the place.

And yes, they would have ignored, either from ignorance or carelessness, the potentially dangerous environment they were now in any other time of their life. But it wasn't the case.

What was a calm return home for Issei was something different for Ayame. The former quickly understood that when he decided to look at his opposite, and saw him grasping his left arm strongly enough to the point of wrinkling his clothes.

His features stiffened, and the younger boy noticed.

"H-hey, bro… is something wrong?"

Ayame looked mildly distressed and his eyes darted to unimportant places.

"I'm not sure, but…" He interrupted his speech and kept looking around. "I have a bad feeling."

Issei's expression began twisting and obscuring little by little. Now that his older brother mentioned it, he could consciously understand that something was out of place. Something wasn't normal. And that something, whatever it was… he already felt it before. It wasn't something he would normally perceive with his originally human senses. Yet, he still could smell the putrid fragrance death stenching the air and taste the metallic flavor of blood emanating from the phenomenon they belonged to. A murderous intent, so strong and violent it could manifest as an invisible mist of crushing might; an almost tactile pressure that killed just by existing in the world.

They stopped walking at one point.

The moon was hidden by clouds. It was probably going to rain.

Issei didn't detect the phenomenon at first. He just felt something was wrong, but couldn't—or wouldn't—quite pinpoint the exact cause of it. Then, when his eyes saw the source of his rising anxiety, his brain probably chose to push it aside in a dark corner of his mind with the intention of preserving mental peace, at least for a few seconds more.

At the end of the street they were in, they saw two figures from afar.

One of them was middle-aged man with black hair. He was wearing a long gray trench coat. His black pants and shoes appeared to blend in with the night, as if they weren't there to begin with. His fedora turned his visage suspicious, given that his face was well concealed.

Alongside him was a woman. A dark brown trench coat-like top hugged her upper body tightly, its collar wide enough to cover her neck from the sides, and open at the center, showing her well-endowed cleavage. A miniskirt with matching colors was held by a black belt onto her waist. Her black heeled shoes made a point of her beautiful legs, and her greatly exposed skin glistened ever so suddenly with the dampness of the night and the white light of the streetlamp. Her unnatural bluish long hair fell on her shoulders and down her back, covering the right side of her face too.

No words were exchanged when both parties entered in each other's field of vision. The siblings had nothing they wanted or could say, and certainly not to the individuals in front of them.

"Oh?" spoke the middle-aged man, caressing his chin with apparent interest. "I didn't expect to stumble upon a Devil walking so carefree in the middle of the night. He looks too relaxed despite stepping where he isn't allowed, as well…"

Chills ran down Issei's spine as he processed the undertones in the man's sentence. 'Devil' was almost a cursed word he didn't want to hear, as it was directed to him. He knew that being the center of attention wasn't a good option within the context of his personal situation.

The woman hummed a matured melody that was her voice. "It is certainly strange, but if I had to guess, his carelessness in foreign territory could point out to a 'Stray' not following orders from any master."

"…The probability does exist. You, boy," called the man as he directed an accusing finger towards him. Issei flinched, as if someone was pointing a gun at him. "Who is your master? What family is he or she from?"

Words got stuck in Issei's throat. The magic word was 'Rias Gremory', but he wasn't sure what the result would be if he responded accordingly. He was scared. He wanted to run home and see his parents. His brain was going through short-circuit.

He was sweating. Was his nervousness too obvious? He looked guilty of a crime he didn't know he had committed.

"No master, then?" His deep intonation acquired a cold edge to it. "I suppose he hasn't been consumed by the evil piece, yet. It's no wonder he looks normal. He must be recent."

"It's written all over his face, Dohnaseek. He's trembling all over and just about to break down from fear. We don't have nearly enough time to be checking up on every single Stray we find on the street, and I think we have all the clues we need."

She took two steps forward, eyeing Ayame from tip to toe. "What about the human?"

The man, 'Dohnaseek', clicked his tongue at the question. Once tense seconds of almost infuriating silence elapsed, he spoke.

"Knock him out and erase his memories. I find mindless killing distasteful, so I don't think we should stain our hands with him." He proceeded to advance too. "You can break one or two of his limbs if he gets too feisty. I'll take care of the Stray myself."

Ayame's breath got funny for a second.

The woman tilted her head slightly, and put a hand on her hips. She stared at them with a tranquil face.

"I was just thinking the same thing," she replied, accepting the violent plan with inhuman difference.

For a moment Issei imagined another night very similar to this one. Maybe it was his imagination, but he could almost hear Yuuma maniacally laughing in the distance. He almost wanted to laugh too at his own bad luck. How could someone be so unfortunate?

Nighttime was never as terrifying as it was now, really. He wished to have a Guardian Angel watching his back now. Then he remembered he was a Devil, and wondered if Lucifer would ascend from Hell to save him if he prayed long enough.

* * *

**~Author's Note~**

That's all for today.

I apologize if the chapter felt boring compared to the previous ones. Things will be heating up as time goes on, and as you can see, Issei and Ayame aren't going to have a break anytime soon.

There were some general inquiries that I didn't quite answer, so I will give you insight on what you may end up seeing:

**-"Is Ayame going to have a Sacred Gear? What will it be?"**

The answer is yes. But as to which one? You'll have to wait and see. But, if you pay attention to the details, you'll see that it's already acting up. It's up to you to find out before I reveal it directly!

-**"Is there going to be romance?"**

Probably. I will take my time to make it feel real and natural if it comes to it.

Also, just because a character flirts or has serious feelings towards other doesn't mean there is going to be chemistry. Until it isn't specified, two characters aren't going to be together. I say this so that people don't feel disappointed if there is signs of romance but there actually isn't any.

-**"Is there going to be explicit content (Violence, sexual themes)?"**

Explicit sexual scenes, if any, are going to be skipped (with fade-to-black). It's not my thing. However, violence and gore will be there in certain amounts. At some point (probably by the end of the first arc), I'll change this story's rating to M, as violence will only get more graphic.

With that, I think I have covered the questions that bug people the most.

Final thing. I know that my story isn't the best, and that I still have long ways to go. If there are elements you consider as bad, then please, please, tell me what is it, and tell me _why_ do you think it's bad. If you say you don't like something just because you don't like it, I will take it as pure personal preference, and I'll deem your review as next to useless for me to improve.

If you don't like it, but can't explain why with actual arguments, then don't even bother reviewing. It's a waste of energy for you to write, and it's a waste for me to read.

With that said, I will retire for now. Until next time!

**(29/1/2020)**


	5. Ignition

**Phase 1 - Gula**

**Chapter 4 - Ignition**

* * *

The air was heavy.

It wasn't much different from sinking into the depths of the ocean. The invisible pressure that crushed his mental fortitude was like hitting the bottom, definitely. Anyone else experiencing it for the first time would have been unconscious by now due to the sheer stress it caused.

Ayame felt cold sweat trickle down his injured cheek. Everything else was getting blurry while his eyes focused solely on the two individuals opposite to him.

His left arm was burning again. His instinctual perception of danger told him he could easily perish if he even blinked wrong.

His eyes narrowed.

He was going to die if he lost focus. The people -_creatures_\- in front of him were still cautious, so he needed to gather as much information as he could while they still took precautions.

Middle-aged man, named Dohnaseek, coated. He had a somewhat imposing build and didn't seem very interested in him, but the enmity he directed to Issei was almost palpable. He seemed sharp, ready to jump as soon as his brother relaxed.

Woman, between 25 and 30 years old judging by her appearance, although human age probably didn't apply to her. Ayame was her objective, but given she didn't want to kill him, there was no murderous intent. Her flimsy clothes were bad as stylistic choice, but she seemed agile and very mobile with them if she decided so.

Devils? It was probable, but Ayame's gut feeling said otherwise. Their presence was diluted and muddy, like a heavy cloud of smoke tampering with his sight. Rias' presence was wild and focused, nothing like them.

They reminded him of Yuuma. It probably wasn't a stretch to call them Fallen Angels.

The street was deserted. It was very dangerous for Issei and Ayame. It was a shooting range and they were the targets. Static targets were the easiest to hit, so moving fast was out of question.

Dohnaseek was eyeballing Issei. His fingers moved and wiggled, ready to launch something, maybe a magic spear.

"A-Ayame… We have to…"

Issei's trembling voice broke the deadly silence. The shadowy figure of Dohnaseek tensed, looking to seize for the perfect opportunity to strike.

"Shut up. I'm thinking," responded Ayame with a forced whisper.

Run back? No, that was dangerous. Zigzagging was the best option; running in a straight line was a sure way to get caught quickly.

Sidestep, then.

They needed a safe route. Somewhere clustered enough to avoid long-ranged attacks with obstacles they could defend themselves with.

He slowly analyzed the street and didn't see many places they could go to. Then, he subtly looked at Issei's left side.

An open alleyway, big enough to fit many people side by side at once. They could get in there and take advantage.

'_Bingo.' _

The main target of execution was Issei, so the deadly attacks would be directed at him.

The woman was too tranquil. She underestimated Ayame, probably expecting him to run away alone without his brother. That was good.

Issei was in shock. His posture was easy to break. That was also good.

It was a risky plan. Admittedly, Ayame was kind of desperate himself. But it was better than nothing, and his sibling wouldn't come up with anything when he was scared the most. He had to take control of the situation at hand or they would both die for real.

He needed to buy a little time. A bunch of seconds at most.

"Why do you want to kill him?" calmly asked Ayame.

Dohnaseek didn't look like he was paying attention, but responded.

"I don't see why I should explain my intentions to a lowly human."

Ayame cursed inwardly, half-expecting that kind of response from a freak like him. Supernatural beings were annoyingly prideful in their abilities. If the boy himself had at least some ability or power to distract them, that arrogance would have played to his advantage. But it wasn't the case.

He needed to get their attention in some way. Provoking them wasn't an option since he didn't have any personal knowledge or assumption about them, and calling them 'freaks' was too childish to be considered at all.

'…_I know. They don't consider me a threat because I'm just an ignorant human to them. In that case…'_

"Too scared that the lowly human will snitch about your nightly outings to your enemies, Fallen Angel?"

He didn't know if they were Fallen Angels. He just assumed thanks to a very strong and almost biological sixth sense that they were.

Ayame was playing with fire. But he needed them to think he was more than just a normal human.

Thankfully or not, the air got even heavier after he spoke.

Dohnaseek shifted his gaze. For a minimal moment, the attention on Issei was lost.

That was his cue to act.

"Issei-"

His sibling spun his head at the calling.

The moment Issei's eyes registered Ayame's form, it happened.

Ayame grabbed Issei's face with his left hand.

The world slowed down again. From the tip of his fingers throughout the nerves and bones of his arm, Ayame received an artificial high of adrenaline. He became faster than everything and everyone for a certain amount of time.

He understood this feeling. It was the same thing he experienced hours ago when he fought against some thugs. The same phenomenon where he gained, for a brief moment, speed and reaction beyond human limitations.

His body was energized, and he felt like he could do anything.

His internal clock began ticking. With each movement of the hand of the clock, Ayame got slower and weaker.

Ayame tensed his back muscles and shoulder.

Four seconds, five seconds, six seconds.

He slackened his hold on Issei's face.

Seven seconds, eight seconds.

He was getting slower again.

Nine seconds.

With a strong push, his little brother was out of the way.

Ten...

"-Watch out."

**Schuck!**

A violent light travelled through the space where Issei was supposed to be, missing its original target by an impossible margin. It kept going and blasted against a streetlamp, splitting it in half and melting it down moments later.

Blood spilled. Ayame's left hand was cut on the palm, cleanly tearing away a superficial amount of skin, and going deep enough for it to bleed.

It happened so quickly he couldn't register the pain.

"Oh, good reflexes." Dohnaseek's praise was almost completely ignored. "It seems you're not completely clueless about the situation you're in, but that doesn't change the fact that you're a human. Get out of our way."

Issei fell down to the ground with his bike. Once he recovered himself, he stared at Ayame bewildered.

"Bro-!"

Ayame didn't even need to listen to him. He ran towards him and helped him stand up by grabbing his uniform.

"Just run!"

And they ran. They ran as fast as their bodies enabled them to towards and through the alleyway, knowing their pursuers were already on their way to track them down.

Ayame heard more rapid steps. They were running after the brothers, instead of flying with their wings, if they had any. They were surely underestimating them.

A distorted sound resonated. Another spear was coming their way.

It was too late for them to dodge. He needed something to block the spear with…

Ayame saw a silver gleam. A metallic trash container was several meters in front of them. If he could use it to deflect the spear, then-

-No. It wasn't possible. It was firmly stuck to the ground, embedded in the pavement. He wouldn't be able to get it out in time.

"Goddammit…"

He cursed. Then, he looked back and forth between the running Issei and his left arm.

…It was a stupid gamble that didn't have any secure basis for him to succeed. But if his gut feeling was true, Ayame was able to 'strengthen-up' by touching someone with his left arm. He could definitely come up with another plan once he was faster than his soon-to-be butchers.

Ayame was better suited for the deadly task at hand. Issei was too desperate.

"Might as well try."

He touched Issei's head with a finger.

The older brother steeled himself for the feeling again.

As expected, everything slowed down again. He was hit with another high of adrenaline that fueled his entire body to push himself past his natural threshold of strength. At the same time, he saw how Issei stumbled, breathing heavily.

Ayame was burning from the inside. He could taste blood in his mouth.

But he was faster now. Fast enough to react, and maybe, just maybe…

…Strong enough to rip the container from the ground.

Six seconds, seven seconds, eight seconds.

The teenager pushed the suddenly tired Issei aside, and took ahold of the container that was by the wall.

Nine seconds.

His fingers pressed against his objective and deformed its silvery surface with an inhuman grip. A horrible screech followed as half of the container was torn apart from its lower half. The brunet raised the now shapeless chunk of metal, and swung it behind him.

Ten seconds.

The metal heated up as another of Dohnaseek's spears bounced against it.

He quickly let go of it, not risking getting his hand burnt. He already changed the course of the ethereal weapon, so he didn't need to block it. It would have gone through otherwise, piercing his body.

He kept running.

Ayame's body was breaking down. His heart was failing. His left arm was paralyzed again. Every now and then, he coughed up blood.

This was his limit. He was already tired and slightly injured before this whole mess happened at all.

"**Cough…! **Hah… Hahaha…"

But he couldn't help but laugh like a complete idiot between cough and cough.

It was so damn hilarious. He was trying to become stronger to avoid this kind of predicament, and the moment he let his guard down, it happened again. And with two monsters instead of one at that! What person had that kind of shitty luck?

It was funny. Funny enough to laugh his lungs out. Funny enough to vomit a gallon of blood laughing. The contradiction was so laughable. He was trying not to die, but at the same time, he was dying for being a weak person. It was as if the world itself was deeming him as killable through every mean for the giggles.

It was exhilarating, though. He had to give fate credit for giving him fun for free.

"Hey, hahaha… **Cough!**"

His frightened brother looked at him with mixtures of exhaustion and absolute terror. He was sweating profusely, and looked tired. "W-What…!"

Ayame flashed him a smile, showing his morbidly bloodstained teeth in the process.

"Wanna race to the end of the alley?"

Issei gaped, and then scowled at him angrily.

"This is not the time to play around, you fucking idiot!"

He kept laughing and coughing up blood at the understandably violent answer. But he couldn't help it. It wasn't Ayame's fault that the entire situation was so goddamn entertaining. He was never forced to strain himself mentally and physically like he was doing now. It was a real challenge, something that had true loss or gain at the end of it.

There was nothing as valuable as a life-or-death struggle. It was the true pinnacle of betterment. The absolute expression of virtue through force.

He couldn't be feeling better!

Ayame and Issei kept running, avoiding by a hair's breadth the spears that were thrown towards them. Dohnaseek seemed to be the one attacking, and the woman was still pursuing them without doing anything. That spoke of coordination and an acceptance of roles, as one wouldn't risk harming an objective that wasn't supposed to be harmed just to catch the other.

He could see it. The lights of the street past the alleyway's exit. They had to get out as soon as possible.

As soon as they stepped out on the open, Ayame spun around in Issei's direction.

"Any ideas of where to go?" questioned the older brother with a raspy voice.

Issei looked around frantically. "I… I'm not sure…"

In front of them was a park full of trees. With the darkness of the night, it would be difficult for them to be found once they got out of the streetlights' reach.

"Let's go there. C'mon!"

The younger teenager nodded nervously and tried to run alongside Ayame, but-

"I don't think so."

-A feminine voice interrupted their thought processes, and a shadow appeared from above.

The woman jumped from behind, probably using a wall as support, and then blocked their only way out.

At this point, and with all of the effort they had exerted, Ayame and Issei were equally tired and exhausted to even react, let alone even mentally process that they were surrounded from both sides until it was too late.

She landed perfectly, looking at the opposite direction.

"Fly."

She whispered an unlikely command. Then, with a strong twist of her body and a lot of kinetic strength, she raised a leg and its blurry shape approached with astonishing speed.

Chills ran down Ayame's back as a horrible creaking assaulted his ears.

The woman delivered an extremely powerful roundhouse kick, which went past Ayame, and struck Issei on his chest. The pure strength behind that hit generated a mild movement of the wind.

And just like that, Issei was literally sent flying many dozens of meters away to the other end of the street, crashing against a nearby building and very painfully falling on the pavement again. The already present silence of the lonesome place seemed to make the occurrence louder than it actually was.

She didn't waste much time once Issei was out of the picture.

Ayame couldn't back down quickly enough. The woman grabbed him by the throat, lifted him up with incredibly strength, and slammed him against the wall.

He coughed up more blood. It was hard to breathe.

She put pressure on his neck.

A fluttering black coat emerged from the alleyway, not even sparing a glance or a word of acknowledgment.

Of course, Dohnaseek's message was implicit and obvious. Nothing changed or diverged from their original plans, so it's not like reaffirming the intention to kill Issei and dispose of Ayame would change anything at all.

They were pragmatic, or maybe they were just that arrogant to think they already won.

"It seems you have some tricks up your sleeve, human," spoke the woman to Ayame. "Only people with physical enhancement magic or Executioners from the church are able to perform feats like yours while being human, such as deforming metal with bare hands."

The pressure on his neck became stronger. Little to no air reached his lungs.

"But you're far too inexperienced to be a magician, and far too crude to be called an Executioner. I suppose hanging around a Devil taught you a thing or two, but you're nothing more than a pitiful person trying to aim higher than he can possibly reach."

Ayame saw through his tired daze how her other hand approached his face. Some kind of brilliant purple markings began spreading from her fingertips to the rest of her hand as she whispered incomprehensible words. Energy began pouring from them.

"A basic spell will do the trick with you. You will never remember us, this night, or anything about any other Devil you have ever encountered before," the woman told him, her words fully bringing a sense of bad omen. "Consider yourself lucky. You will be able to lead a peaceful life again, ignorant like the rest of your species."

He would have laughed at that. It's because of people like her he ended up in this situation, and it's not like Ayame disliked it. It was ironic to say, as if it was a good thing, that he would lead a peaceful life again. He didn't want a peaceful life.

As soon as the woman's hand got close to him, he rapidly grabbed it with his left hand.

His left arm was still numb. He couldn't feel it, but he could move it.

"Ugh… could you at least… tell me your name…?"

Her face contorted in confusion, but then she dedicated him a pitying face.

"What difference would it make? You won't remember me."

Ayame smiled at her, still struggling to not let her hand reach him.

"Hahaha… Yes, I won't remember you. But I like to think I fought impressively enough for you to see, to _remember_ me, as more than just an ignorant human," he told her without much strength left. "…I certainly want to know your name, as it was very fun to fight against you."

She stared at him, her hand stopped in place out of her own volition this time. Ayame met her eyes, trying to understand the thoughts of a different but equally intelligent being. Would she respond while recognizing him? Would she put him down nonetheless?

She only smiled. It was a smile full of pity.

"You're a strange person," she stated. "My name is Kalawarner. Don't bother to tell me your name, as I'm not interested in your lesser existence."

He smiled at the somewhat blunt reply, satisfied.

"Thanks for being honest," responded Ayame. "But in that case, I want to make sure you actually change your view about me…"

Ayame began circling with his fingers one of Kalawarner's fingers. Such gesture didn't elicit any reaction from the beautiful woman, who seemed to shrug it off as if it just was an ant walking over her hand. Ayame's smile began to widen a little. Was he so inferior, so tiny in comparison to her she didn't even care about him showing an obvious act of resistance?

It frustrated him. It also filled him with excitement.

**CRACK!**

It was immediate. Kalawarner herself seemed slightly confused until she became aware of what happened. Funnily enough, it was like she hadn't even registered the pain at all, and only took notice of it because of the sound. She was a monster, for a lack of better term. An injury that could have had anyone else rolling in pain on the ground, she simply didn't realize it was there.

Ayame had twisted her ring finger backwards, snapping it. The limp and now useless piece of purple meat and broken bone dangled from one side to another without any restraint.

The woman stared at it impassively.

"Will this be enough for you?" asked the boy, almost on the verge of laughing again.

She stayed still for a good amount seconds, before chuckling to herself a little. She locked eyes with him again, now sporting a more vivid expression on her face.

"…Now, it does seem I was mistaken when labeling you. You're not an ignorant human…"

She closed up to him, and whispered in his hear.

"…You're just a madman."

The world became a hazy blur. Ayame felt weightless as Kalawarner lifted him up again and threw him high in the air. He could observe the night sky as his body involuntarily soared above the street like a bird.

He crashed against a tree. The force he was thrown with was enough to split said tree in half quite easily once he landed, painfully rolling on the ground afterwards.

"Hahaha… guh…"

Ayame laughed weakly, trying to prevent his broken ribs from piercing his lung as he grabbed his sides. The extreme pain was causing him to tremble ever so slightly. He couldn't crawl away.

Kalawarner approached him slowly, knowing he couldn't escape.

"Actually, let me rephrase that. You're a madman, and at the same time, you're not human."

Space and sound distorted as clusters of energy gathered and a spear of light was formed in Kalawarner's hand.

"You were foolish enough to stall your defeat, and thanks to that, I was able to discern something about you. Your blood…" She trailed off, taking a deep whiff of air. "…Your blood smells funny. It's dense with magical energy. I don't know what kind of entity hides beneath your skin, but it's crystal clear to me that you're anything but human now."

She twirled her spear, scorching the grass as its point grazed the ground every now and then.

"Be grateful. You would end up dying anyway," she told him as a matter of fact. "No one is able to handle pure Seele inside of their bloodstream and not rot from the inside because of it. I'm just making the process less painful."

Kalawarner grabbed her spear with both hands despite her broken finger and took a finishing stand, pointing directly at his head.

"Farewell."

Ayame kept giggling to himself silently, knowing his end was inevitable now. Once that spear went through his skull he would definitely abandon the world of the living for good. It would be like knife slicing butter, instantaneous. He wasn't able to move anymore and any attempt to fight back wasn't exactly possible.

He rolled on his back, giving Kalawarner a clear target to hit.

He wouldn't beg. That would be disrespectful to the winner of this fight.

The spear retreated a little, and then, it shot forward powerfully.

Ayame waited for it. He waited for his death, accepting it as the natural outcome of the situation.

"Ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you, little Fallen Angel~"

Yet, it didn't happen.

The luminous sharp end of the spear stopped centimeters away from piercing his forehead.

Kalawarner retrieved her spear, and turned around to face the owner of the voice. Ayame, through the physical suffering his broken body put him through, tried to raise himself and do the same.

There, many meters away, was a figure the boy recognized a little too well.

At the sight of it, he rolled his eyes and shook his head. His liveliness and excitement quickly got murdered by the sheer presence of the most annoying thing on the planet.

"..Good evening, Akeno. Could you please vanish from this universe? I'm in the middle of something with the lady over here."

Akeno Himejima stood there, still wearing her school uniform. Her arms were crossed, and a confident smile beautified her unspoken challenge directed at Kalawarner.

She giggled a little, seeing Ayame's reaction.

"Awww, couldn't you at least say thank you? I was just passing by and I couldn't resist saving a dear friend of mine from the clutches of a big, bad, curvy hussy~"

Ayame scoffed, still holding his ribs in place. "…Whatever. Just get it over with so I can get killed."

The girl kept giggling, absolutely enjoying herself if it was any indication. She then uncrossed her arms.

"I don't think so, Ayame-chan. You owing me for saving your life would be obscenely delighting for me, you know? It would be like a dream come true to order you around~"

"Enough idle banter, Devil. State your motives here and leave before I allow you to share this boy's fate."

Akeno stared at Kalawarner, and nodded to herself.

"It is as you say, dear. We should settle this matter hastily, as time is scarce," she concluded. "Would you mind letting that young man live? I will take responsibility for any kind of verbal harassment he may have put you through~"

The blue-haired woman snorted, clearly not following Akeno's mood.

"And what if say no?"

Akeno narrowed her eyes, still smiling.

"Then I would truly enjoy partaking in this deadly contest, and showing you the difference in our might." She pointed her index finger at the woman. "But I guess you already knew it would turn out that way, didn't you?"

Kalawarner didn't respond. She simply pointed her spear at Akeno, taking a firm fighting stance, ready to clash with her at a moment's notice.

"Just as I thought," Akeno said to herself. "Violence is such an unsightly, yet effective way of resolving conflicts…"

The theatrical way Akeno spoke of violence could have fooled anyone into thinking she disliked it, but it was clear she was just being dramatic for her own amusement. She was looking forward to it.

The raven-haired girl slowly and gracefully bowed, one hand behind her back, and the other extended towards her enemy.

"Shall we dance, milady?"

* * *

**\- ~DxD~ -**

His head was hurting. His eyes were hurting. His legs were hurting. His arms were hurting. His bones were hurting. His muscles were hurting. His organs were hurting.

Everything was hurting.

The sole action of breathing was painful. Issei's cells screamed in agony every time he stirred, trying his damn best to move. Many of his bones were broken, and he could feel himself regurgitating blood coming from his injured insides.

His eyes registered a dark red sky. Everywhere he saw, there was red. Only red. Black clouds painted with the red of his bleeding vision.

The kick was already painful enough. Being thrown against a building was even more insufferable. Falling onto the pavement couldn't be worse.

Issei felt gelatinous, as if his body was turned into a bloody paste.

"It seems you weren't much trouble to begin with. Still, the less number of Devils running around, the better. Prepare to join your peers in Hell."

Dohnaseek's voice painfully rumbled inside of his brain. There was a terrible headache that didn't allow the teenager to think or listen.

Was this his definite end? Was this how his life pathetically ended once again?

Why was this happening? Was it his carelessness? Was it something he did that made him accountable for all of this?

He constantly asked himself what was the reason of him being in this situation. What was his purpose here? A normal teenager wasn't supposed to be beaten, pursued, and then killed as if he had indeed performed terrible deeds.

He didn't deserve this.

…

…

…But, Issei was already over that.

He already shed the tears that needed to be shed. He already complained about his unfair situation. He already faced the horror of powerlessness a few days ago.

He wasn't afraid now. He couldn't be afraid even if he wanted to.

No. Even as Dohnaseek approached him, not even trying to finish him off quickly, he wasn't afraid of what could happen. Even now, he couldn't care less about what kind of super miracle could save such a hopeless person as him in an equally hopeless dead end.

His brother had saved his life multiple times during the chase. Meanwhile, he was just trembling in fear and obeying orders with delay.

Not anymore. He didn't want to die again, and not like this.

At the same time, what option could there possibly be to escape his fate?

Being a Devil didn't make him strong. He had the potential, but not the skill.

'…_Think, Issei. Think!'_ he said to himself mentally, unable to speak aloud. _'What can I do? There must be something, something I'm not seeing…'_

"It's impressive how some insects can cling so desperately and persistently to life, knowing they have no other salvation left."

The man's appreciation didn't reach his ears. His footsteps, however, were starting to inject a sense of hurry in him.

His body couldn't move. He was battered and destroyed. It didn't matter how many ideas he could conceive, his body was in no condition.

It was-

-Out of his reach.

It wasn't something he could reasonably pull off while injured. Nobody would think he could get up and instantly turn the tides over, simply because it was beyond his realm of possibilities.

It was a 'miracle'. Something that couldn't be realized with normal means.

Yet, Issei had something. Something that granted stupid, impossible wishes and it was inside of his pocket. It wasn't meant for him, but he couldn't care less.

The amulet Rias had given him. It was the answer to his problem.

Extreme luck. A forceful twist of fate that led to an uncertainly rewarding outcome, at a very high cost.

But, at the same time, the memory of that dreadful warning still imprinted in his mind echoed once again-

_-Without soul, there's no magic. And for someone to use a magic so powerful without a soul big enough to withstand it… what do you think will happen, Ise?_

Yes, his soul wasn't strong enough. Issei Hyoudou wasn't strong enough to use such dangerous methods and expect to come out alive.

If his wish was too ambitious, he would end up 'drying up'.

It was a terribly risky option, and there was nothing else for him at the moment. But for someone who didn't have anything to begin with, something was already too much. And he wasn't going to discard the one opportunity that would possibly be his way out.

He only needed for his body to move again. Whatever happened after that wasn't only within the amulet's reach of possibilities, but also Issei's.

With a trembling, bruised hand, he slowly reached out for his left pocket.

"Still fighting, young one? You should know it's useless to resist. The world will be a much better place without something like you in it."

His blood flared. He could feel himself grinding his teeth together, almost to a breaking point. What kind of stupid reason was that to kill someone innocent? Who was he to claim he was better than Issei, and that he had all the right to kill him without a heavy conscience?

It didn't make sense, and he wasn't going to start trying to understand a monster.

He saw, despite his red daze, a shining light in the form of a spear with a giant point being held up above his body.

His fingers snaked their way inside of the pocket. He felt the form of the amulet, and tried to take ahold of it.

"It wasn't a pleasurable night, neither for you nor me."

Dohnaseek raised his weapon even more.

"Die."

Issei grabbed the amulet, and mustered all of the strength he could to not let it go.

He closed his eyes, and wished-

"-H-Heal… me…"

A dying whisper filled with an overwhelming resolve to live. Nobody heard it, except Issei and the amulet itself. That was enough.

His skin burned. The amulet was hot. As soon as his fingers enclosed around the mysterious artifact, he couldn't let go of it. It was like it had melted together with his skin.

It was a painful feeling. There was lava inside of his veins, travelling up and going to all places of his body.

His broken bones began slowly melding together. The torn muscle tissue was knitted with an external, violent swirl of energy. His blood vessels were carefully reconstructed, forcefully generating more blood to replace the one that had been lost. His organs were pushed to work normally with the intention of speeding up the process.

His chest was burning. As if a second heart full of fire was beating alongside his normal heart.

Slowly, Issei regained complete feeling over the left side of his body.

The spear came down onto him.

The teenager rapidly pulled his left hand out of the pocket, and rolled to his right side, avoiding his death by a small margin.

**Crack!**

The pavement fractured as the magical spear missed its objective.

"What…?"

Issei rapidly tried to get up, his broken right leg slowly healing up.

"As if I would let you kill me so easily, you moron!"

The teenager stumbled as fast as he could, trying to go past Dohnaseek and go away. Just as he was about to pass him…

"Not so fast, youngster."

…The old man grabbed his blazer and lifted him up before he could get at a safe distance.

He launched Issei against a wall, preventing him from running away. The teenager could feel the amulet still trying to repair his body, so it didn't hurt nearly as much.

Issei dedicated Dohnaseek a hateful expression, trying to get up.

"Why the hell are you so fixated on killing me?! I haven't hurt anyone, old man!"

The coated figure took the spear out of the ground, and adjusted his fedora in a way that allowed Issei to look at him in the eye.

"Although I do hate your kind, this is not personal. Being a Stray is enough reason to get you killed," Dohnaseek affirmed, seizing up Issei. "Without a master that controls the flow of demonic power from a servant, the evil piece will start to corrupt your soul. Sooner or later you will kill people just to feed on their souls and any trace of your previous persona will disappear."

Issei's confused expression seemed to resonate with Dohnaseek, as he was the one who looked confused moments later.

"…Hahaha, don't tell me your master didn't warn you? This is just rich." He chuckled darkly, finding the whole ordeal funny for some reason. "Boy, let me clue you in reality. Servitude to a Devil master is not just a matter of swallowing your pride and following orders. It's a coercive need too."

He looked at the cloudy sky, walking and rounding up Issei. The teenager also started walking parallel to Dohnaseek, trying to not let him get close.

"But well, now that I think about it, there is no need to explain such a thing to someone who will die soon enough, wouldn't you agree?"

As much as he hated to admit it, he was right. Issei avoided death once, but how would he fend off such an overwhelming force alone? Dohnaseek's annoying diatribe had a truthful and lethal side to it.

Issei felt a shock of lightheadedness as soon as his body became uninjured. The amulet had already finished its job fairly quickly, but now, another part of him was suffering the consequences.

He wasn't entirely versed in the whole 'without soul, there's no magic' subject, but he had the gut feeling that if he overused Rias' gift, he would end up dying for different reasons. If he lost consciousness now, he would get killed one way or another.

But beating the person in front of him was also a miracle. He couldn't do it while being so weak.

Unless…

…Unless he summoned his Sacred Gear.

He almost cringed at the thought of it. Issei wasn't the brightest person, but even he could understand how ridiculously situational would it be for him to summon a Sacred Gear by himself, and even then, was there any kind of reassurance that he would walk out alive?

Dozens of doubts assaulted his remaining courage, telling him that his increasingly shrinking repertoire of options was just useless.

Dohnaseek almost seemed to be toying with him, waiting for him to realize –to _accept_ \- the simple fact that he couldn't win.

Then, after a few seconds, he almost felt the need to punch himself.

This was what the old man wanted. To make him give up on hope before dealing the final blow.

Issei didn't want to die. Even if he wasn't that intelligent, or virtuous, or strong, he didn't want to die. His life was not less valuable because he was just a normal guy trying to live a normal life, and it sure as hell wasn't less valuable just because of some dumb supernatural rule that said that Devils were bad.

This wasn't the time to be nitpicky – if he had to definitely die, he would do so fighting.

He recalled Rias' words-

-_As long as you have some potential, strong emotions could trigger a Sacred Gear's manifestation._

It was as simple as that.

To hell with basic reasoning or his practically inexistent chances to win. It wasn't just about being able or not being able to win. He _had_ to win.

With that in mind, he closed his eyes, and reached out for his innermost feelings.

**.**

**.**

**.**

_-I realized that my big brother is a very cool and strong person-_

"Huh, I can see you're not as brave as you were before. It seems you understand the wide gap between your strength and mine."

**.**

**.**

**.**

_-I also want to be strong. Not just for me, but for others too._

Translucent heat washed over Issei's left arm. He clenched his left fist over the amulet, feeling the lingering hotness on it.

"Hmm? What are you doing…?"

He imagined power. A power strong enough to push him forward through difficulties. A power strong enough that would let him break through the harshest of situations. Something that would grant him, at least within a second, the possibility of winning any battle and surpass any obstacle.

Glowing red marks like veins began to spread throughout Issei's left arm. It was as if his overwhelming desire to live had manifested inside of his blood as fire, turning his heart into a flaming furnace that would keep beating fiercely as long as he kept holding onto the idea of surviving.

**.**

**.**

**.**

_-You gotta promise me this-_

He felt the strange phenomenon that began eating away his arm. A second layer of skin as hard as steel, yet organic, impossible to differentiate from his natural flesh just by feeling alone. It molded itself around Issei's arm perfectly, protruding round mounds that covered a part of his elbow. His hand, still uncovered, clenched with renewed vigor around the amulet.

"Give me strength…"

The teen whispered another silent prayer, not so much to the amulet, but to himself. Issei pleaded to himself, asking his person, his soul, to push a little more.

In that moment, in that city, in that street, absolutely no one else had a greater desire to survive, to _live_, as Issei Hyoudou did.

"You little bastard, you had a-!"

Dohnaseek had already realized what he was trying to do, but that didn't matter.

**.**

**.**

**.**

_-Don't you die on me, ok?_

That's right. It couldn't end like this. Not when he made that promise!

He opened his eyes. Dohnaseek was moving in slow motion towards him, his spear thrust forward with the intention of killing him.

Issei did the same, and lunged at the old man.

The few meters that separated them felt like kilometers, and even though Issei's mind was in overdrive and lived the event in a slow version of it, the speed the two fighters achieved was simply unperceivable by the naked eye of a human.

"I…!"

The brunet formed a fist with his left hand. The amulet cracked, reaching its limit and breaking under the pressure.

Dohnaseek's spear approached, swiftly trying to overpower the teenager running at him.

"…I WON'T DIE!"

The burning red of Issei's soul impacted against the dark blue of Dohnaseek's.

The ground shattered as two forces met. Droplets of water heavily fell from the now raining sky and the symphony of nearby thunder accompanied the first and final clash of that fight, closing the metaphorical curtains of the act and allowing for the epilogue to proceed.

The rain snuffed out the falling of drops of blood.

Dohnaseek stumbled backwards, his long coat swaying as he lost his until now rigid posture. His fedora fell on the wet street because of his unstable movements. His spear of light disappeared completely. The arm that previously held said spear was charred, burnt up to his shoulder along with the fine clothes that not so long ago covered it. Smoke arose from it.

The middle-aged man stared at the teenager with almost palpable animosity and not just passive contempt. His long black hair, wetted by the rain, fell on his face, almost concealing his not-so subtle grimace.

"…For a weakling and a Stray to boot, you surely packed a punch there, brat. You broke my arm," the man admitted scornfully. "I suppose hiding your Sacred Gear was an intelligent strategy to take me off-guard."

Issei wasn't in better condition. His arm, still thrust forward, was as charred or even worse than Dohnaseek's. Red liquid stained his torn knuckles. The crimson piece of armor that had suddenly manifested to strengthen him was already disappearing, its pieces cracking, falling, and vanishing from the world one by one. The amulet Rias had given him shared the same fate as it turned into dust.

The teenager chuckled drily, not bothering to hide his dislike for his opponent.

"You're giving me too much credit, old man. For a moment I thought I was going to die."

He managed to overpower that situation. Issei's punch was enough to break Dohnaseek's spear and hurt him, but nothing else.

"Your fear is understandable. This small annoyance is not enough to stop me."

A cluster of energy took the shape of another spear, which the middle-aged man grabbed with his healthy hand.

Issei had a terrible luck, truly. It didn't matter how much he tried, he could only fight off one spear. Dohnaseek could create as many as he wanted without breaking a sweat. Meanwhile, he was at his limit.

He smiled through that sad conclusion. He was at least able to fight against the odds. He was satisfied with his efforts, and he truly acknowledged he couldn't do anything else.

It wasn't something Issei accepted or wanted, but he had no shame or regret. He did his best.

Dohnaseek silently raised his spear once again. The rain vaporized instantly upon touching the solidified energy.

There was nothing to be said. Meaningless chatter was beyond them now.

**BOOOM!**

Yet, a terrifyingly powerful rumbling shook the earth violently and took their attention away from the confrontation.

Pure brightness arched and crackled towards the middle of the raining street, behind Issei and Dohnaseek. Branches of lightning fell from the black sky and illuminated the night with deadly brilliance. Pools of water were sent flying through the air as the force of nature's wrath hit like a hammer of steel the ground, destroying the pavement and completely pulverizing its surroundings.

A few moments passed after the lightning descended, and a smoking object was sent flying from the whirlwind of energy downwards the ground.

Said smoking object bounced a few times on the street, and then stopped in place. Both Issei and Dohnaseek stared astonished the incredible display of power.

Then, a figure stood from where it previously crashed.

There, almost barely recognizable from before, was the blue-haired woman who had been following Issei and Ayame a while ago. Black marks, product of extreme searing, were seen all across her once beautifully clean skin. Her silky blue hair was now puffy. Her clothes weren't any better.

Dohnaseek was the most surprised apparently, as he completely forsook his confrontation with Issei to stare in bewilderment at his companion.

"What is the meaning of this, Kalawarner?" he said aloud, still trying to maintain his composure. "Don't tell me the other brat was the one who did this…"

There was no time to respond.

Another figure fell from the skies clad with electricity, and landed powerfully yet gracefully on the street, forming a small crater with the strength of her feet.

Issei couldn't even form words or comprehend what he was seeing.

With a confident smile and arcs of electric energy dancing like luminous snakes around her body, Akeno Himejima, his upperclassman, made her flashy appearance onto the main stage.

Her body was completely soaked by the rain, her wrinkled and wet uniform being the main proof of it. But despite that, the electricity didn't seem to harm her in the slightest. It only seemed to get brighter and wilder, behaving with a seemingly will of its own.

"How was it, little Fallen Angel? Have you enjoyed the flight?" chimed the young woman as she approached. The energy around her coiled and slashed the pools of water around her. "I do understand if it was a bit too _electrifying_, but you see, I really cannot contain myself when in the face of danger. Besides, the weather is so bad right now~"

Dohnaseek, who had remained calm and collected up until now, was now sharing the same gaping reaction as Issei.

Akeno caressed her chin with one hand and held that arm's elbow with the other hand. She made eye contact with Dohnaseek, and smiled as she shifted her gaze towards his partner.

"Kalawarner, was it?" she spoke to the injured woman. "Why don't you talk some sense into your partner over there and negotiate your surrender? As much as I would love to eat roasted bird tonight, I have far more important things to care for. A withdrawal would be appreciated."

The raven-haired lass waited expectantly for their reply.

"You surely know you can't win, right? To gamble your oh-so precious life against me just to kill a weak Devil and a human must be absolute madness, isn't it? It's not a strategically intelligent option, and you must be aware of it."

Her tone of voice was sly and condescending. She gave them the chance to run away while also reminding them constantly that they were weaklings compared to her.

"I'm sure that you, Fallen Angels who value the sense of duty and mission so much, wouldn't risk your lives now when there many other important plans you could be taking part in the future," Akeno continued as she laid out a coldly yet snarky view of the situation. "But, if you do decide to battle regardless of your weakness, I will accept your death wish. As a Japanese woman myself, I can surely respect blind bravery in the face of unbeatable adversity. It's in my blood, after all~"

The Fallen Angels, as Akeno had labeled them, exchanged a silent message through the loudness of the rain and the murderous intent of the young woman before them.

After a short yet unbearable moment of consideration, Dohnaseek's spear disappeared from his hand instantly. He turned around.

"Let's go Kalawarner. We have no further business here."

A pair of black feathered wings erupted from his back.

Kalawarner shakily stood up. "…Understood," she simply responded, dedicating Akeno a scornful look before revealing her own wings.

They both flew from the scene, and disappeared within the raining night sky.

Issei remained there, stupefied at the idea that he just had been saved at the last second by his exceedingly powerful, and scary, upperclassman.

"H-Himejima-senpai…"

She turned around with a cheerful smile, knowing full well that there wasn't any subsequent danger now.

"Let's go now, Ise. Ayame-chan is waiting for us."

Upon hearing that, Issei's lips turned into a quivering smile.

He had escaped death once again. Despite the dire implications of such danger surrounding him constantly, he couldn't help but to feel ultimately relieved. He almost felt himself tearing up, but the rain didn't allow him to confirm that.

"…Y-yeah, let's go!"

* * *

**\- ~DxD~ -**

Akeno let out a sigh of mild exasperation. The coldness of the ambient turned the air coming from her mouth into white mist. Violently, the rain kept pouring and splashed against her head and the other two teenagers alongside her. The darkness of the street was surprisingly thick, and the only thing guiding their path were the still bright streetlamps doing their usual job.

It was a wild evening. Akeno had managed to save the two teenagers walking alongside her.

Ayame limped his way through the rain, a hand over his torso's left side. Issei, albeit not being gravely injured, was on the border of unconsciousness, and fought to stay awake as he tried to hold his bike. Akeno wasn't particularly experienced with healing magic, but she did her best to ensure they wouldn't look too roughed up on the outside. Nobody would notice they were injured. As long as they were alive, it was the best outcome for now.

Still, this was certainly unfortunate. Had she arrived a little too late, everything would have devolved into a massacre.

She didn't expect to stumble upon pesky Fallen Angels trying to murder her innocent junior and her cute classmate at the same time, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle.

The safest option was to walk them home too, as taking chances didn't seem particularly appetizing right now. Ayame and Issei were both too careless to stay safe at home by themselves, it seemed.

Although she wasn't necessarily invested in ensuring their wellbeing, it still was her responsibility to make sure the brothers were safe. Besides, what kind of exotic entertainment would she find if her dear Ayame-chan suddenly met his end? She would die of boredom, and that was a no-no.

After half-an-hour walking, the trio finally reached the Hyoudou household.

"Not half bad, I must admit," admired Akeno as she eyed the two-story house, cupping her chin. "Such a good house to raise such good children~"

Ayame actually snorted at that comment, whereas Issei was too exhausted to reply.

"I don't care what you think about my house, but sure, whatever you say." Ayame began searching for his keys as he approached the door. "At least we're here now."

She hummed in confirmation. "Yes, indeed. Let us enter, now~"

Ayame-chan grabbed Akeno's head with his right hand, stopping her in place.

"Sorry, but I'm skeptic at the idea of allowing such a dangerous, foreign element as you in my house," said Ayame-chan with his usual sarcasm. "Why should I let you in?"

"Because I saved you~" replied Akeno, walking her index and middle finger up Ayame's chest, until she booped his nose. He grimaced.

The brunet seemed to think it over for a little, before Issei stepped in.

"C'mon, bro. Himejima-senpai is our friend. I'm sure it's fine to let her in for a talk."

After another moment, Ayame sighed. The young woman already knew he would not disagree, as Ayame-chan seemed to be a pretty reasonable person despite his unwillingness to follow through some decisions.

"…Fine, do as you please. I do admit this is not the time to bicker over dumb things."

'_Ah, there it is~'_

Ayame-chan let go of her, and went towards the door with the intention of opening it.

"Yay~" sneakily cheered Akeno as she pumped a fist. She was finally entering the beast's lair, where the deepest, most embarrassing mysteries of Ayame-chan were hidden. The possibilities to make him beg for her pardon after uncovering his secrets were as endless as they were funny to think about.

They walked in. Issei and Ayame announced their return at the same time, taking off their damp shoes before walking further inside.

"Issei, Ayame, I know you have things to do outside, but please stop coming back home so late. My old lady's heart can only withstand so much when I don't know how my boys are doing."

A mature, feminine voice called from inside.

Effectively, a woman appeared from another room with towels on her hands. Akeno gaped at the sight.

She looked extremely young. Her skin was smooth and healthy. It was as if she was in her twenties, but upon taking a closer look, she could certainly notice she was older than what she appeared at first sight. She was wearing a yellow, long-sleeved shirt, and blue jeans.

Her bright brown hair was long enough to reach her waist. Some bangs covered her face, with one long strand standing up over her head. Her eyes were of a deep blue. Albeit she had mostly Japanese features, there were some distinctively western aspects to her.

She was incredibly beautiful, and Akeno could only stare in astonishment. Then, she looked between Ayame-chan and the woman, and a smirk appeared on her face.

Of course, the woman was their mother. Ayame-chan looked almost, if not exactly the same as her. Although his brown hair was a darker shade and his skin was pale as a ghost's, he had taken a lot after his mother.

It did explain a lot. Ayame-chan had a subtle girlish charm, which made him somewhat physically appealing. That little detail was very silly to think about when paired up with the young man's actually rude personality.

The mother handed the towels to her sons. "Now, go take a hot shower! I don't want either of you to catch a cold."

"Yeah, yeah, mom."

"I was planning to, mother."

Both brothers replied lazily, but the mother smiled warmly at their confirmation. Issei left his bike at the entrance, and quickly went upstairs, probably trying to take a shower first.

Finally deciding it was time to step in, Akeno announced her presence.

"Pardon for the intrusion~"

The brunette shifted her attention from her children to Akeno, and slightly gasped. "Oh dear! I didn't know we were having a visitor."

Ayame-chan spoke on her behalf, covering up for her. "She's my classmate. We found her soaked in the rain, so Issei forced me to bring her in. If she bothers you, I will gladly call the police or something. You never know how burglars are disguised nowadays."

"Hahaha, don't be so mean Ayame. I'm sure you would have done the same if Issei hadn't told you. It's nice to see some new faces around here, since Issei never bothers to bring his friends either…" Finishing her speech with a dejected expression, she faced Akeno once again. "Please, come in and make yourself at home. You should take a shower too! I will give you some of my clothes until yours dry, ok? I hope you don't mind using an old lady's garments~"

The raven-haired youth was taken aback by the overwhelming hospitality of the mother, who immediately welcomed her warmly.

"Oh, this is such a heartwarming surprise. I'm incredibly grateful, Madam Hyoudou~"

The woman laughed, dismissing the formal thanks. "Please, dear, call me Nozomi if you want. I didn't catch your name, though!"

Akeno put a hand on her cheek and smiled. "The name is Akeno Himejima. A pleasure to make your acquaintance~"

And just like that, the atmosphere had gotten cold.

Ayame had stopped in place instead of going upstairs, and looked behind him. His face was paler than usual, and his eyes almost seemed to be shaking. He was trying to say something.

"Come again, dear? I think I misheard you."

Nozomi had a smile on her face, but her tone of voice was a bit weird.

"Akeno Himejima, Madam," repeated the young woman.

Akeno looked at Ayame, and she noticed at the last moment he was silently mouthing 'shut up'.

…? Now, what was happening here?

"Ah, yes? That's quite interesting, really…"

"Mother, I can explain-"

It happened very quickly. Ayame began speaking with a hint of shakiness, and in the next second, he was trapped in a headlock, with Nozomi strangling him with both arms. She swung him around like a ragdoll, and Akeno could only stare in bewilderment as her classmate that didn't flinch in front of anything was forced into submission.

"You better explain yourself damn well then, you little rascal!" Nozomi said loudly as she put more pressure on Ayame's neck. "'Sleepover with a friend', my ass! You scared the hell out of me while you were in a girl's house for an entire night! I thought I raised you better than this, Ayame!"

Akeno was truly confused now. It seemed Nozomi took cue of this, and began to explain.

"You see, this hellion thought it was a very funny idea to worry his poor mother and go out an entire night without telling her!" Ayame looked like he wanted to defend himself, but he was quickly silenced. "He told me he went to a friend's house, and that friend has your exact same name. But he was supposed to be a guy, not a drop-dead gorgeous model lookalike!"

Thinking it a bit, Akeno connected the pieces fairly rapidly.

Ayame had probably returned alone to his house after the night he was killed. That meant he didn't have a convincing alibi to explain his disappearance, so he had to come up with one at the moment.

But really, to use _her_ name to protect himself… how shameless and bold of him. Although, she couldn't help but to feel giggly at the idea that she was the first person Ayame-chan thought about when trying to save his own butt.

Of course, given this was very silly misunderstanding, she couldn't let the delicious opportunity to slip away from her~

"How troublesome, Ayame-chan…" said Akeno aloud, bringing the attention towards her.

Nozomi and Ayame both stared at her with puzzled looks. Then, she put on a sad expression and joined her hands on her chest.

"…The secret got out," she spoke sheepishly, and with an actual _blush_ on her face.

Ayame stared at her with dilated pupils and an angry face. Color drained from Nozomi's house as she gasped, horror clearly painted on her features.

"It's… It's true, Madam. Ayame-chan came over to my house and… I couldn't really turn him down. He told me he couldn't stand being away from me a second more," she continued as the atmosphere got even heavier. "He seemed so desperate, so lonely… I didn't have the courage to say 'no' and push him away once we were alone…"

Akeno had to contain the laughter inside with all of her strength of will. Nozomi was increasingly becoming visibly angered, and Ayame's stare was so intense he could have set her on fire with it.

The teenage girl put a hand on her cheek, and let way for a timid smile to form as she looked away.

"But… I cannot really deny it. I have never felt so happy before." She closed her eyes and held both cheeks with her hands, managing to appear even more flustered. "The way he pursued me to take notice of him… The way he held me with his strong arms… It set ablaze warmth inside of me…"

Ayame's grinding teeth could be heard from a mile away. Now, for the finishing touch…

Akeno embraced herself, holding her arms over her chest and grabbing her shoulders with strength.

"…If paving our way to eternal happiness is a capital sin, consider us guilty, Madam. Guilty and deserving of the cruelest punishments, as my dear Ayame-chan could only focus on the one thing that truly brings fire to my cold heart… to be one with me."

Akeno couldn't even hear her own thoughts anymore. Mad laughter was the only resident in the girl's mischievous mind.

She counted the seconds it took for the message to sink in. One, two, three-

"You fucking-"

"You fucking monster!"

Ayame's insult was interrupted by Nozomi's pained scream, which was heard all across the house.

"On top of being an ungrateful rascal who scares his mother to death, now you also turn out to be a putrid hormonal boy who goes all the way with the first pretty girl that reciprocates! Have you ever thought about her feelings?!" cried Nozomi as she liberated Ayame from the headlock and began shaking him back and forth. "You better be prepared for marriage, young man, because the day you make me a grandmother is the day you become the best husband in the world!"

Akeno was out of breath. She was giggling to the point where her lungs and abdomen were hurting. Ayame was sending her a hateful stare.

"Now, now, what's with all the fuzz?"

Another voice butted in. This time, it was a grown man's voice that emerged from the same room Nozomi did.

His eyes were of warm amber, and even though his black hair made him look distinct, it was styled in the same way as the youngest Hyoudou's hair. The tear-through lines beneath his eyes were testament of his mature age, or probably, tiredness.

It was like looking at an older version of Issei himself. An older, more laid-back version, it seemed.

The moment he revealed himself, Nozomi cried in his direction and told him with anxiety the cause of the situation.

"Haruto! Your oldest son has engaged in indecent actions with a gorgeous woman, outside of marital commitment! Don't you think this is absolutely inappropriate?"

Haruto, as called by Nozomi, gazed upon Akeno. Then, he began scratching the back of his head. After a few seconds of seemingly deep thought, he calmly smiled back.

"Good job, Ayame. You scored quite the young beauty. Treat her well, okay?"

"What do you mean 'treat her well'?" questioned the mother coldly. "You traitor!"

Nozomi quickly let go of Ayame, who fell against the wall, and grabbed Haruto by his shirt. She started shaking him up the same way.

He didn't really oppose her, though he didn't seem to care either way.

"Now, weren't you angry at Issei for wanting a harem? Because it was immoral? I thought that loving a single woman wouldn't be a problem, so I don't see the downside."

"There's a difference between harassing women from afar and sleeping with them, you complete ignoramus!"

"Yes, but it's Ayame we're talking about. He's straight as an arrow, so I don't think he'll just run away after doing such a thing. Just let it go, honey."

"You place too much trust in a teenager who's just learning how to sleep with a woman! My mature and serious son is being corrupted!"

The silly discussion continued and didn't seem like it would end anytime soon.

At some point, Ayame walked up to Akeno, who was still trying to contain her immense laughter. They both stared at each other, and even though there were no words spoken, the message was pretty clear before it was actually transmitted.

"Himejima," called Ayame dully.

"Hehe… Yes, dear Ayame-chan?"

"I hope you die as soon as possible and fall to the depths of Hell. You make me sick," he coldly told her. "You better watch your back. I'll break your neck and dance on your rotting grave."

Akeno kept giggling, and nodded.

"Pfff… Yes, Ayame-chan. Your desire is my command, hahahahaha….!"

* * *

**\- ~DxD~ -**

At some point, Akeno's joke came to an end. Nozomi, still suspicious of the whole ordeal, reluctantly allowed her to stay and make herself comfortable as previously planned.

She waited until Issei and Ayame finished showering before she followed suit.

As the hot water began washing over her, the teenager dwelled in her thoughts. She wasn't expecting for Ayame-chan's family to be so… extravagant, in a way. It was like he was the only one out of place; but again, Issei was in a category of his own. The heartwarming welcome was also an unexpected development. She wasn't going to deny such display of hospitality!

She definitely made the right decision. Being on permanent standby until things actually got ugly was admittedly boring, but it gave her enough freedom to act on her own accord. And really, she only found entertainment after entertainment thanks to it! It was like being in a theatre where her favorite play was being performed repeatedly and she couldn't get enough of it.

It was a shame Rias didn't get to enjoy such pleasures. She was always managing things from the clubhouse, not even a little bit interested in going out to the frontlines for a change. She needed to lighten up and get some action, just like someone her age would.

Akeno really needed to teach her King to be less of a Devil and more of a girl…

'_Well, each to their own, I guess,'_ she mussed inwardly, the sound of the water drops hitting the ground and her skin muffling her thoughts a little. _'It's not like I can change her mind so easily, after all.'_

Either way, Akeno had other matters to attend to presently. First, there was Issei and the incredibly ridiculous stunt he pulled. Anyone would have noticed the ominous demonic power that he produced by using the amulet. Rias herself was going to freak out later on when she noticed one of her own servants was feeding her his soul.

It was adorable to see him struggle so much and in such a reckless manner, but he needed a good scolding. A servant needed to behave and not get himself killed so easily, as he was more valuable alive than dead.

Secondly, there was Ayame-chan…

Honestly, that man was full of surprises. To think he was still alive despite his current condition was astounding. She had certainly noticed something was wrong with him, but her suspicions remained inconclusive until today. She was getting too sloppy to let something like that slide so quickly when it was in front of her nose.

"Problems seem to be attracted to him. He's getting in a lot of trouble lately," Akeno said to herself as she ran her fingers through her hair, letting the water slip in.

She allowed herself a satisfied smile.

"Fortunately for him, I'm quite problematic myself."

The night was still young. Her heart throbbed at the idea of more entertaining situations and dramatic plays. Shivers of excitement travelled beneath her skin as she imagined what kind of spectacle she would be able to enjoy later on. Why wait for something fun to happen when you could search for the fun yourself?

"…Keep dancing and dancing. Persist on searching for even more conflicts. Allow me to enjoy your next performances. I'll make sure to have the front seats, just so I can enjoy as I watch you go through the most exquisitely sensational trials."

Akeno began humming an upbeat tune.

"Let's see how long you can keep stealing my attention away, A-ya-me-chan~"

* * *

**That's all for now.**

**This chapter was going to be much, _much_ longer, but I preferred to separate it in two chapters or it was going to be too much to correct. I never thought I would cut a chapter down, since I always try to write the right amount of words. At least I have material for the next update!**

**So, this time, I decided to respond to specific reviews so I could address some points or just simply salute you all, instead of being general. I will do this once in a while, but not much, because it can get exhausting. **

**The followings reviewers were present for chapter 3 (and chapter 2, some of them):**

**"Swoogan": Your hypothesis about Ayame's body is pretty accurate! I congratulate you for nailing it down at the first try!**

**"Vendre": I update this story whenever I think it's best to do so. I did say so at the prologue. This is to ensure that my chapters will be high in quality!**

**"ygrekks": I'm glad you enjoyed Ayame's character! I tried to write a character that was certainly dark, but not in the sense of being ruthless or just downright a beast, like others. I wanted something bleak that had a profound meaning to it.**

**Also, I do understand your irritation with the lack of leisure time for Ayame and Issei to be at peace, but that's the point. The supernatural world is not going to wait for them to get comfortable, and I want to convey that constant danger. As for Ayame and magic, don't worry! He didn't 'discard' it. He just pushed it aside because, even if he has seen it in action and has some clues, he needs something concrete to work with. He's an open-minded (kind of) person, but that doesn't mean he instantly knows what to do with something unknown like magic. He's a fairly normal human despite his little quirks.**

**Vritra is a close call, but it's not Ayame's Sacred Gear. You're going down the right alley, though!**

**"Deadzior": It makes me super happy you like the story and Ayame! I tried to create a character that didn't exactly follow the same guidelines as other OCs, and it seems it paid off, hahaha. Don't worry, I'm also kind of tired of Gary Stues and boring power fantasies, so I'm trying to not fall into the same category. People grow through struggles and challenges, and it's something I really want to show in my story!**

**"luiseduardob303": Don't worry my dude. Just because this story has the possibility of romance (which is weird, I know), doesn't mean I will change my characters' personalities without a reason. I'm trying to make sense within my own creation, and I assure you I will not stray from the ideas I first showed just to replace them with others.**

**"TatsuyaShiva4": Thanks for your input. However, you're missing the point. I want people to like my characters for _who_ they are, and not for _what_ they are. Would it be cooler if Issei had a 'badass' heritage, instead of being a Devil? Probably. Would it be good? No. Just because he has some cool background, or power, or heritage, that doesn't mean he's good. It just means there are more elements surrounding his character. Elements I can easily replicate without making him a god, or the son of a god, or something similar.**

**It also works the other way around. Just because Issei doesn't have the spotlight all the time in my story, that doesn't mean he's not good. Issei is basically the second protagonist of this story, and Ayame cannot finish his own character arc without Issei acting as a foil. There's a reason I decided to keep him in my story, and it's not to make fun of him. Issei is a normal guy trying to live a normal life, yet he also has enough mental strength to face dangers that no normal person would be able to. He's valuable as his own person, even if he's not 'cool' at the moment.**

**If you cannot appreciate Issei for who he is, and prefer a 'badass' Issei with the depth of an actual spoon, then I would recommend looking the other way and find another story, instead of this one. Nobody is forcing you to read something you don't like, either.**

**"Lovnag": Thanks for enjoying my story! I didn't exactly base Ayame on Hachiman, but they're really similar now that I think about it! They're both very cynical, they're both very prideful, and they don't really care about themselves, amongst other things. Thanks for mentioning it, good sir! I will look into him more often to get inspiration.**

**"Wacko12": Be patient! Ayame will slowly discover what he can do. It's just a matter of time: ;)**

**"Purple Rainmaker": I really understand your dislike for most stories in the DxD fandom, because I feel the same. From time to time I try to search something that may just be different, but it always ends up spiraling down the same clichés and things everyone has seen by now. With that in mind, I try to not fall in the same hole and stray, even if it is just a little, to make my work something truly enjoyable. And I will work towards better chapters to excite you more!**

**Those are the most recent reviews I wanted to answer to. To all of you who weren't mentioned, I also hoped you enjoyed the story so far! I couldn't have written so much without you guys' support. You're the best.**

**Now, as always, tell me what you liked about the chapter! And what you didn't! Which character was the most interesting? Did you enjoy the action scenes? Did I get a laugh out of you at the end? Did it grab your interest even more? Tell me all about it!**

**I managed to write this chapter in less time than the previous one. It seems the goddess of luck is smiling upon this poor writer. Let's hope I keep getting blessings and not curses, hahahaha. **

**With all said and done, I will retire and rest for now. See you next time, guys!**

**(24/2/2020)**


	6. Derision

**Phase 1 - Gula**

**Chapter 5 - Derision**

* * *

Back and forth.

Smooth wood remained pristine under his nail.

Back and forth, neither adding pressure nor changing the pace. Back and forth to Hell and beyond, scratching the parquet of his room with his index. His gaze was vacant, distant, as if he were staring at something no one else could see. Anyone entering his room at this moment would have thought he was simply spacing out.

'…_I'm melting, I'm melting, I'm melting, I'm melting, I'm melting, I'm melting, I'm melting, I'm melting…'_

In truth, he was in pain. It wasn't just a simple injury or a mild sensation of discomfort. What he was feeling would make any person cry and scream. Yet, despite such a thing happening to him, he maintained an almost completely unresponsive demeanor.

Like a mantra, he kept repeating the words that best described his current predicament.

'…_I'm melting, I'm melting, I'm melting, I'm melting, I'm melting, I'm melting, I'm melting, I'm melting…'_

He was melting, for a lack of better description.

A splitting headache was assaulting his brain. A searing sensation crawled beneath his skin as if fire ants were desecrating his flesh from the inside. His blood was hot. His veins and arteries were itching and for a moment he thought he would combust at a moment's notice from how high his temperature was.

His left arm wasn't any better. He wanted to cut off his arm. It was annoying. It was burning up to the point where he felt it was on fire and he couldn't take it any longer. Between the headache and his semi-paralyzed limb, he couldn't decide which one was worse to withstand. The nerves were badly connected. The bones were not well proportioned. His muscles were tearing up constantly. Even if he couldn't see inside of his body, he knew it was a mess inside.

But, again, he didn't cry. Or scream. He didn't change his expression. He didn't flinch, not even for a second.

The only sign of clear disquiet was his index, which moved back and forth, scratching the floor.

Contrary to what his body besieged him with and the response he should have given to it, Ayame felt a minuscule, microscopic bit… of peace.

Pain wasn't necessarily bad. With pain came the conclusion that he was still alive.

He accepted the feeling. He let it wash over him, telling him 'you're still here'.

That's the only reason he could remain calm.

However, it was too much, even for him.

The physical effort he needed to exert just to be conscious was straining. The lights of his room were too bright. The sounds were getting longer and longer, up to the point when he couldn't finish listening to them completely.

Ayame knew he was alive, but he was losing perception of space and time. He could barely tell he was in his room. The corners of the room he was in were twisting, shrinking and springing into gigantic forms. Sweat ran along his spine, but was it really sweat or an ocean licking his flesh?

Why was he there? Why was he scratching a dead piece of wood stuck under him? Why-

Fingers snapped in front of him. A gust of air hit his boiling, boiling, boiling body.

His gaze refocused.

"Hey, bro."

Ayame recoiled, startled by the sudden calling.

Issei, in all his hazy glory, was in front of him, sporting cream-colored pants and a red T-shirt that assaulted Ayame's senses. His hair was puffy and slightly brilliant.

"Don't go snoozing off on me now, Ayame. We still gotta talk with Himejima-senpai," said Issei, seemingly noticing his tiredness on some level.

Then, he remembered. They had escaped from the Fallen Angels, thanks to Akeno. Now they were in the Hyoudou household. Their house. Issei had taken a shower first. Ayame had been second. Akeno was the last one.

She was still in the shower, so they had decided to wait in Ayame's room. A low table had been set in the middle of the room with cups of hot tea on top of it, courtesy of Nozomi.

At some point, the adrenaline of the previous battle had worn off. Ayame was fully capable of judging how bad he was actually doing, and the pain became so unbearable he couldn't concentrate on anything else.

The only reason he was able to respond was thanks to Issei's presence. Without him there, he would have already fallen face first on the floor.

"Sure," Ayame gritted out. Pain bursted through his left arm.

Issei pursed his lips at the bland answer. "You're totally not listening to me, are you?"

"Yeah," said Ayame without a hint of sarcasm.

Some seconds passed before Issei pouted in a somewhat joking manner.

"Okaaay, be a total ass to your little brother," he dismissed Ayame's monosyllabic responses as he shrugged his shoulders. "As I was saying, are you going to tell me?"

Ayame grunted a little. "Tell you about what?"

"Your scarf, man," said Issei as he pointed to the aforementioned object still tied around his brother's neck. "I know you have a weird fashion sense, but you're even using it indoors. You look silly."

That question woke him up a little.

"It's none of your business."

Issei shook his head. "Your reluctance to answer clearly says otherwise, man. How can you be so twitchy about a piece of cloth? Just tell me already."

Ayame blinked a few times at nothing.

Not wanting to answer was one thing. Not _having_ the answer was another. He didn't care about telling him why he was wearing his scarf indoors or why he wouldn't let go of it, but Ayame himself wasn't privy of the reason either. That scarf was the most important thing he ever had. He would consider lynching anyone who tried to take it by force too.

"If you have time to ask useless questions, you also have time to drink your tea."

"See? Exactly my point," said Issei while waving his hand at him. "The more you refuse to tell me about something as simple as a scarf, the more curious I get. What, is it something you're embarrassed about?"

"No." Ayame closed his eyes and threw his head slightly backwards. Irritation was building in his chest, its only rival the ache smothering his breath. "I already told you it was a gift. It just turns out to be a scarf, and I want to use it. Is that so hard to understand?"

"It's hard to believe the cynical guy with barely any friends would receive a gift, and decide to keep it." Issei obviously meant to irk his brother with that phrase, if his smirk was of any indication. "No offense, though."

"None taken," Ayame responded nonetheless. It's not like Issei was lying or exaggerating about his lack of friends. "However, I would prefer if you didn't ask things you know I won't answer. It's a waste of time."

Well, he didn't mind chatting just to remain awake when there was nothing more important to do. The problem was that it worsened his ever-increasing migraine in consequence. His brain seemed to be overheating with each passing second.

"Hmm, sorry. I just… wanted to ease the mood, you know?" Issei admitted sheepishly as he looked down. "I know I'm not the best person to have an important conversation with, so I thought I could do the opposite now that we're safe and sound."

Ayame stared blankly at his little brother. His eyelids dropped, hindering ever so slightly his sight. Damn headache and stupid, weak body.

"…Thanks, I suppose. But it's not necessary. I'm alive, aren't I?"

He wouldn't share his disappointment over the outcome of the battle, however. He was indifferent to the idea of dying altogether, but that didn't include the meddling pestilence that was Akeno and her bad habit of appearing wherever she wasn't needed at all.

The brunet may have been unfocused thanks to the pain, but he wasn't oblivious. People who didn't want others to see their inner difficulties projected them on others and tried to help them if they could. That way, they could treat other people the way they themselves wanted to be treated, and achieve some sort of calmness while maintaining a façade.

The possibility that Issei was deeply affected by recent events couldn't be dismissed. He was also human. He had worries, too, but…

"Now that's what I like to hear!" responded the younger teenager cheerfully. "I reckoned you needed a shoulder to cry on or something, since you're all frailly and twitchy like always. It seems my bro does have nerves of steel beneath that woman-like surface and his hissy moods, hahahaha!"

…Nobody would think this idiotic person was able to feel long-term worries. Issei had his heart in the right place -wherever that was supposed to be-, but he was too shallow to even consider what his current situation actually entailed. Ayame couldn't imagine Issei thinking about something too deeply aside from keeping himself alive, and he didn't expect him to do so.

Of course, such thinking could be easily attributed to a wild beast. Just like a beast, Issei could only think about women and how sexy they were, per his nature as a male. Just like a beast, Issei didn't care about the supernatural or what it meant to be involved with it. He just wanted to be alive. He failed at that, considering the past events, but he tried as hard as he tried to appeal to a female mate.

In that regard, he was diametrically opposite to his older brother. Ayame was more than willing to use his life as a disposable means to discover his meaning. Achieving a meaning, a reason to live, even if it was five seconds before he died, was more important than living aimlessly without a clear destination.

That was one of the underlining reasons of why he wasn't capable of connecting with his brother. Even then, Ayame was sure he wasn't missing anything important by doing so.

Still, to think Issei was able to smile without knowing why was disgusting to look at.

Ayame proceeded to sigh and shake his head at his brother's stupid response.

"Pathetic. Try to come up with a better insult than me being gay or feminine." The boy began scratching his hurting head, feeling chills run down his spine as he did so. "Maybe if I bash your skull in, your creativity will take a turn and give you actually funny comments to make."

"Geez, no need to be mean all of a sudden, 'big sis'. Hahahahaha!" His beastly brother's barking was followed by a stupid and very hittable grin. "I'm just tryna make a joke, dudette. No need to get your panties in a twist 'bout it."

Ayame rolled his eyes.

Issei was too confident in his verbal skills. Unfortunately, he was nowhere near Ayame's level. It was easy to get him worked up with just the perfect phrase.

For example…

"Cherry boy."

"Whaddya say, you punk?! We're still on time to go to the hospital, if you're so eager!"

Issei instantly reacted to the nickname and stood up from his spot, clenching a fist in front of him menacingly, and his lighthearted attitude gone.

The older brother didn't flinch, and simply let his shoulders relax at the satisfying comeback. The great benefit of being this person's brother was that he knew what ticked him off the most. Just the simple implication of his still intact virginity was enough to make his teenager instincts go wildly stupid about it.

"If you're prepared to shoot a person, be prepared to be shot too," advised Ayame. "You walked into that one by yourself the moment you made fun of me, idiot. Get over it."

The little brother was taken aback by the comment.

"Guh… Ah, okay fine! I'll concede for now," he yelled as he recognized his inability to turn the situation around. He fell back on his ass with an irritating tremor that sent vibrations throughout the parquet. Ayame's world was crumbling and spinning thanks to his beastly brother. The older brother wasn't enjoying the violent boat ride.

Issei noticed nothing, as usual. If he had, Ayame would have perhaps considered bestowing the title of 'human' upon his brother's soul. He regretted calling him an actual human at first. For now, he would remain a stupid beast.

The stupid beast he called brother took a big swig of his tea. "Just you wait. One day you'll be the one embarrassed."

Ayame joined his legs and hugged them close to his chest, chin resting on his knees. It eased some of the pain that assaulted his joints. "Whatever you say," he responded nonchalantly.

**Click-**

Then, the sound they were expecting to hear at any moment abruptly cut their conversation short. They turned their heads towards the door.

Akeno had finally finished her shower. However, the dignified and royal-like appearance that the woman usually sported was exchanged with something more casual, but certainly not less attractive.

Her long black hair, usually tied with a yellow ribbon, was completely freed. It flowed to her hips and it made her look like a different person. She was wearing a turquoise-colored T-shirt with some kind of cat silhouette on it, and dark blue pajama pants. Ayame recognized them as the childish clothes his mother liked to wear from time to time.

Her almost perfectly proportioned figure could be appreciated with those clothes, as they were a little tight on her. She sported a perfectly flat abdomen, voluptuous legs that had the right amount of meat to them, firm arms that weren't excessively muscular, and a straight, confident posture.

A towel was hanging around her neck, and a smile was on her face.

"Hello once again~" she greeted cheerfully. "I hope you weren't too lonely without me here as the soul of the party~"

"I was almost happy before you waltzed in here, you perverted wretch," commented Ayame. He hugged his knees closer, as if that feeble barrier would stop her perverted nature from staining his soul.

Issei, for his part, was openly blushing at the sight of Akeno. The older brother did notice that the girl wasn't even wearing a bra beneath her shirt. Her already prominent chest was sticking out even more than usual, and while Ayame himself had to admit it was arousing, his judgment wasn't dictated by hormones like a certain someone in the same room.

"B… Boo…"

Issei almost let out the words that conveyed his primal feelings about what he was seeing, but at the last moment, he managed to hide it-

"Boo… Buenas noches!"

-And look even stupider while doing so.

"Now that's interesting, Ise," said a slightly amused Akeno, "I didn't know you spoke Italian~"

"It's Spanish," Ayame corrected, "and he doesn't know squat about it."

Issei sent a glare his way for -kind of- selling him out. He ignored it. The girl laughed and got closer to the table with a graceful march, almost purposefully making use of her physical assets to beautify it in the process.

"Good evening to you too, Ise." After murmuring a friendly greeting, she sat on an unoccupied spot.

Ayame's decomposing mood took a dive into the rivers of Hell. Akeno was already annoying at school, but having her so close and so much time was beginning to fry what little patience he had left, along with his hurting brain.

"I'm sure you both are too fed up to chitchat tonight, so I'll go straight to the point," said Akeno as she took the towel from her shoulders, her smile morphing into a neutral expression. It was as if she read Ayame's thoughts, as he was indeed too exhausted to joke around. "I need to discuss with Ise, specifically."

The youngest of the three was a little startled. He composed himself and asked. "W-What is it, Himejima-senpai?"

Akeno joined her hands on top of her thighs, and her expression tensed into a serious one. She bloomed into a person neither of the two brothers knew.

"Ise, do you remember what Rias told you in our last meeting? About the amulet, and going out at night?"

Issei flinched, and looked down, unable to respond.

"That was a very dangerous maneuver you pulled off, Ise," said Akeno without even blinking. "That amulet is incredibly dangerous, and Rias didn't lend it to you just so you could go around trying to defeat people stronger than you with it. It could have killed you instantly, at worst."

"I… I know. But I wasn't strong enough, and I needed to do something. It was do or die, and that Fallen Angel could have killed me either way…"

"If my memory doesn't fail me, Rias specifically told you to _not_ go out at night, because she knew you wouldn't be able to protect yourself. There's a reason you were allowed to take care of your contracts in the afternoon instead. Yet, you decided to suddenly forget about that clear warning, and ventured in Kuoh at a dangerous time of the day."

Ayame understood what she was talking about, to some extent. If Issei hadn't helped him defeat those criminals a few hours ago, he would have been able to carry out his duties or whatever he was supposed to do without delay.

Issei himself didn't forget about such detail, and brought it up.

"…I had to help Ayame. He was getting beaten up by some thugs and… I just couldn't let him alone, could I? I did lose time, but it was for a good cause-"

"And what of it, Ise?"

Akeno's interruption was harsh and definitive, so much that Issei remained frighteningly silent after it. She really appeared like a different person like that.

"Ayame-chan surely got into that pinch by himself. It was his problem, and knowing him, he probably didn't ask for your help. Isn't that right, Ayame-chan?"

Ayame hummed. Pain was still annoyingly present and pouring embers along his nerves. Opening his mouth to answer such a simple question seemed like too much work. In the end, he relented to see where this new Akeno who wasn't a lewd wraith would lead the conversation.

"She's right," he responded blankly. He never asked for any help of sorts, and even when Issei did help him, it's not like they could hold Ayame accountable for a mistake that didn't concern him much.

An uncomfortable silence took place. Issei's expression was a troubled one, as he didn't know how to respond. He clearly disliked being told that helping his own brother was a mistake, but he also understood the implications of having done so. They both almost died because of it.

Even then, Akeno didn't remain serious for much longer. Her face softened, and her smile returned.

"Ise, you're a good person, and you're not in trouble," she assured as matter-of-fact, "but I'm telling you this because I care about you. I'm trying to ensure your safety as members of our peerage, as comrades, so please don't just ignore what we tell you. Rias' workload is already big enough, and getting worried about her servant won't help her in the slightest."

He raised his face and stared at Akeno. He still looked slightly ashamed, but was coming to terms with the situation.

"Can you promise you'll be more careful in the future, Ise?"

Issei's eyes narrowed, and after a few seconds, he nodded.

"Yes… I'm sorry for being careless. I will try to not let it happen again."

That confirmation was enough to make Akeno clap her hands together with satisfaction.

"Good! That's very good, Ise. Thanks for understanding our position. It's imperative we work together as best as we can, and communication couldn't be better right now~"

Issei allowed himself a sheepish smile as he scratched his cheek. "Hehe, right. Thanks for worrying about me, Himejima-senpai."

"Don't mention it, Ise. It's natural for us servants to look after each other~"

The 'problem' was taken care of fairly quickly, Ayame mused. Akeno was just making sure Issei wouldn't do stupid and dangerous things again, purposefully withholding sensible information from their peerage so that Ayame would remain ignorant to their affairs. He didn't care either way, but that detail couldn't go unnoticed.

Akeno could be sharp when she wanted to be.

"Kids, food is ready!"

Nozomi's voice called them from downstairs, announcing it was suppertime.

Issei, seemingly forgetting about the conversation, jumped from his spot and excitedly went out to have food.

Ayame tried to get up. At first, his legs trembled at the slight effort he made to stand up. The girl who was now getting up gave him a quick look.

"Let's go, Ayame-chan. After an arduous fight, filling your tummy with delicacies is far more exciting~"

He grunted. The trembling became more apparent as he forced himself to get up, despite his hurting body. Dizziness ruined his sense of balance and numbness spread from his chest across his body.

He stumbled, and almost fell on top of the table.

A hand went across his torso, preventing him from getting hurt.

Ayame stared at Akeno with an exhausted look, still showing no emotion.

"Ayame-chan, I need to talk with you privately after we eat," she requested with a whisper. "Try to not sleep early. It's important."

His instinctual reaction was to decline whatever Akeno desired, but if it was really important, he had no intention of pushing it aside. Even if he disliked her, whatever she needed to say had to be heard if she went through the trouble of asking him without joking.

"…As you wish. It better be serious."

She helped him straighten up his posture, smiling.

"Of course."

With that mysterious promise lingering in the back of his mind, Ayame accompanied Akeno downstairs to eat food.

* * *

**\- ~DxD~ -**

Once supper time was over and fooling around had ended, Ayame went to his room. He didn't partake in the fooling around part, escaping his father's teasing and Akeno's asinine comments on their 'relationship'. His bed engulfed him whole when he finally stumbled to his room.

His brain was boiling. His eyes stung and maybe they would melt too, in the end. They would liquefy and flow down his face. His ears itched with each squeals or laughs that climbed the stairs and slithered into his room.

Silence finally fell upon their house.

Akeno waited until everyone went to sleep. She knocked on his door softly and somehow, somehow he crawled out of his bed and found the doorknob in the obscurity of his room. She walked in and he closed the door.

Ayame's sight was blurry. His throat was dry, and no matter how much water he drank to quench his thirst, it didn't subside. The pain was slowly being replaced with a feeling of general numbness. Every pain sensor in his body was shutting off to give him a moment of respite. He was not solely melting. The entire world seemed to be melting around him and with him.

Supper had gone in a flash. The nonchalant attitude of his father, the affection and jokes of his mother, the lighthearted demeanor of Issei, and the mischievous way Akeno presented herself…. Everything went by without him noticing. The food had no taste. He couldn't even feel if his stomach was full or not.

Ayame wasn't scared. But still, he had some vague idea of what awaited him sooner or later-

-It was the smoldering and inescapable omen of death, slowly and continuously spreading like a plague inside of him. The cold embrace of the definite end of all living creatures tried to drag him under, digging its claws in his left arm and poisoning his blood. It desired to reclaim Ayame, who had prematurely escaped its grasp before.

It wasn't a particularly worrying fact. He just wondered why it didn't happen sooner.

His mind wandered in gutters he normally avoided. Useless thoughts swung in his head, ricocheting off his skull relentlessly. They wanted to break free. Was this actually the feeling of death? Was his tired mind playing more tricks on him? There was no actual way of objectively assessing the situation.

Even so, the boy couldn't spare more energy. Acknowledging and accepting any possible outcome as inevitable, he plopped on his bed and simply prompted Akeno to reveal her reason to talk with him.

"So? What do you want?" he enunciated slowly.

Akeno crossed her arms, smiley face still there, and walked over to Ayame's bed.

He looked at her warily.

"Now, don't be so twitchy Ayame-chan~" she nonchalantly said. "This is for your own good."

She sat on the bed and inched closer to him. Ayame could barely register her form anymore. Her long hair was blurring with the darkness that stood in the corners of his room. She was blending in the twilight his lamp was weakly offering.

"Can you give me your left arm, Ayame-chan?"

Her request was followed by her extending her hands towards him, waiting for him to obediently comply and allow her to seize him up. He had no strength left to decline, so he did as told. The tremors that ran through his numb limb, he couldn't conceal. The hiss his lungs produced, he couldn't hide. The grimace he showcased, he didn't care to hide. His situation was overly distasteful.

His left arm ended in Akeno's grasp all the same. With careful movements, her fingers took the limp arm he dumped on her tights and danced upon it.

Her expression visibly clouded at the contact.

Ayame could only stare at her face as she inspected him. Her distinct features were slowly twisting out of the twilight that shrouded his vision. Her straight nose and smooth brow came into view first, followed by a slight sheen on her hair that made it stand out from the black spots that danced in his irises. She moved locks of her dark, dark, dark hair away from her too white doll face with fingers that looked like shiny, prickly needles. Her eyes shone a purplish glimmer. He focused on that unnatural light.

As he analyzed her, she analyzed him back. Anyone would have believed that her every action was perfectly trained and calculated, as it was almost hypnotic to look at her. Her neck was bent over his arm, cradling his dead limb between her two hands that burned him. Her hands felt like ice against his melting body.

"If you'll excuse me…"

His momentary stupor was shattered by the sound of her voice.

Then, she proceeded to grab the sleeve of his black shirt, and gently pulled it all the way upwards. His unresponsive left arm, the source of a great part of his pain, was finally uncovered.

Ayame looked at it with a mixture of surprise, disgust, and tiredness. It was quite the astonishing sight to behold. The girl's facial features hardened, even if just a little, but she didn't show any kind of bewilderment.

The arm should have looked pale and smooth, like the rest of Ayame's body. Not that shockingly, considering how his senses were dying on him, it wasn't.

Black bluish veins pulsated beneath his skin, like cracks running down a marble-colored piece of ancient pottery. There was a circular row of veins encircling the part where the elbow and the upper arm connected, before following the same pattern upwards. Some black spots that reminded Ayame of coal stains could be seen on the otherwise pale skin.

"Ah, this is worse than I thought," concluded Akeno without betraying any emotions she might be hiding under her tranquil guise. "I'm surprised you're not rolling on the floor in pain. This must hurt a lot."

It did hurt a lot, but confirming such a thing wouldn't make a difference.

Akeno freed one of her hands, and placed it on Ayame's stomach. She stared at him, searching for his consequent approval.

"Sorry, but I need to inspect further. I have to make sure I know in what condition you're in."

"…Do whatever you please," he grumbled in response. He didn't have enough energy to care for futilities. He wanted answers.

Satisfaction lit her violet eyes. The girl's hand silently snaked its way beneath his shirt, tenderly moving the cloth away from its path. Her cold fingers ran across his torso, sending icy shivers all across his sensitive body. At some point, the hand stopped and rested just above his chest. She stroked that part experimentally.

She nodded slightly, seemingly coming to a conclusion.

"Will you explain what's happening, now?" Ayame grunted out.

Lost in her thoughts, Akeno looked unwilling to reply just yet. The girl shook her head moments later, and her vibrant gaze met his dull eyes.

"I will keep it short. Basically, you're intoxicated. Your organs will probably stop functioning in a few minutes at most. You're dying."

His expression remained distant. If he could have spoken freely, without his jaw feeling like it was torn from his face with each sentence he spit out, he probably still wouldn't have admitted that he couldn't control his facial muscles anymore.

Nevermind. He was already aware of his quickly declining health, but if Akeno had seen something was wrong enough to tell him directly, then it was actually serious.

Due to his ignorance on the matter, Ayame had no other choice but to trust her.

His throat constricted his breath with a sharp spasm. He choked out a few more words. "Is there a way to stop it?"

She remained pensive. After a good amount of painful seconds, Akeno continued.

"…Yes, I can do something about this," she said. An undesirable grin formed on her face afterwards. "You're very careless Ayame-chan. To have a lady save your life twice on the same day… are you trying to make me get attached to you?"

He scowled. "Get on with it, I don't have all night."

"Yes, yes, dear Ayame-chan~"

Akeno pressed her index finger against his chest. She also began digging her nails in his left arm at the same time. He watched intently, trying to focus his sight on her. He was curious as to what her 'help' actually meant.

Her face still sported a smile. However, when she dared to look at him in the eyes, he could see that she was not playing around anymore. The new Akeno, sharp and serious, had waltzed back into his life.

"This will hurt a lot. Try to withstand it."

He didn't have enough time to ask why it would hurt.

Akeno pushed. Pain flared.

Her index finger tore through his skin like a knife would have cut through butter. It slid between the gaps of his ribs. His flesh was pushed aside by her slowly approaching finger. His heartbeats became faster and more violent.

"Ah… Haah…"

Ayame gasped.

A string of drool slowly flowed from one corner of his mouth.

His muscles constricted, rejecting the foreign object that mercilessly journeyed through their kingdom.

Akeno managed to graze his heart with her fingertip. Ayame spasmed. Instinctually, the brunet grabbed her wrist with his other hand and tried to pull it back. However, the girl was stronger. She didn't budge in the slightest.

Akeno wrestled with Ayame a little, and pinned him down to the bed. He started squirming in pain, trying to push her away to no avail. She sat on top of his stomach, not allowing for him to kick her away. She clamped her legs together, restraining Ayame's hips from doing any sudden movement that would throw her around.

"It's going to be okay, Ayame-chan. Look into my eyes. I know it hurts, but you have to bear with it."

Liquid began to run down his chest, soaking his sheets and her pants. The hole in his flesh was overflowing with blood.

Suddenly, the girl stabbed his left arm too with her needle-like fingers. A burning sensation ate away his sense of reasoning. It was as if a circuit had been turned on inside of his body and electricity was frying his insides.

Through the daze and pain, Ayame stared at Akeno's smiling face.

Her finger pressed against his heart directly. His gasps became more and more shallow.

After the longest and most asinine seconds of his life, the pain diminished little by little. Akeno retracted the finger that was piercing his chest, and the ones that were stabbing his arm too. A 'pop!' sound was heard as the girl finally got the finger out of Ayame's ribcage.

Her smile was still on place.

He wanted to bite it off her face.

Akeno moved back a little. Ayame, finally liberated, grasped his chest. He tried to cover his exposed heart. He was going to die on his bed. He was going to die on his bed, blood seeping out his injuries.

-What a pathetic death.

Lightning was going through his heart. His arm was numb once again. He breathed many times, trying to regain precious oxygen.

His breath itched when he felt flesh move under his palm. The blood flow seeping between his fingers slowed down, still staining his pale as snow skin with red tears. His lungs expanded to their full capacity.

Pain finally subsided.

"Wha… What was that for…?" he asked weakly. But his question was answered automatically upon laying sight on his arm, which sported a gruesome appearance not so long ago.

The blue veins that decorated and seemed to devour his arm visibly shrank and hid beneath the skin once again, like normal veins. The black spots were also disappearing, and the excruciating pain that was melting his body was washed away as second ticked by.

Ayame wiped the drool from his lips and smudged his chin with blood. He looked at Akeno and her ever-smiling face.

With a smile, she showed him her fingers, which were covered in blood from piercing him.

"Operation complete~!" she cheered, wiggling her fingers. Droplets of blood flew from her sharp appendices, staining her cheek red. "I'm so good at what I do it's almost scary, really. I suppose it's another good addition to my curriculum~"

The boy kept a hand on his chest, firmly pressing on the injury she inflicted on him. His heartbeat was back to normal, and his confusion grew by the second. His flesh was moving under his skin and it wasn't because of his movements. His heartbeats or his respirations couldn't explain the shifts he felt in his body.

Akeno noticed his vice-like grip on his injury. Her grin widened. She flicked his nose. "You shouldn't worry about it. This won't kill you… if you take care of it. A bit of alcohol and no extraneous activities will do the trick."

Akeno settled on his lap, seemingly not minding the stream of his blood that was staining the pants she had borrowed from his mother. She patted his hand. He would have slapped it away, but no, no, no. Something was happening under his skin, something he didn't want to share with her and her infuriatingly mad smile.

The hole… there was no hole. He could have sworn there was a hole in his chest, leading to his weakened heart. Akeno didn't seem to notice, and Ayame couldn't find an explanation to it.

"It should heal in a few days- or weeks, considering your poor life hygiene. Issei told me about your lazy habits. You shouldn't sleep so much, Ayame-chan~"

"Could you stop playing around for a second?" Ayame snapped at her. "I genuinely want to know what's happening here."

The brunet then looked at her and his lap where she had found a seat.

"…And get off of me."

Akeno's shoulders went limp. She dedicated him a sad face. Fake. "Ah, such a spoilsport. Do you know how many people would kill to be in your place, Ayame-chan? A beautiful girl is on top of you. Try to enjoy things once in a while~"

He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. Pain had completely left his chest.

"I don't have the time or the intention to enjoy your perverted fantasies, Himejima. Get off."

After a bit of suggestive squirming, she complied with his demand. "Geez, fine, fine, no need to be rough Ayame-chan~"

He pulled back his shirt, protecting his chastity and his secret, hand still pressing on his now covered and healed chest. He took it out reluctantly. Then, his blue eyes finally looked at her directly. Akeno was sitting on her heels on the bed, smiling like always. Nobody would think something egregious happened a moment ago.

Ayame wasn't sure if he was grateful Akeno managed to keep her cool even in dire situations, or annoyed at her constant easygoingness. Either way, he could use it to his advantage.

"Tell me, why was I dying? And how did you help me?"

She made a finger gun and pointed it at him, winking. "Ahhh, straight to the point, I see~?"

"Do I look like I enjoy pointless chatter?"

She waved her hands. "Hahaha, okay, understood. Sit back and relax, because this will be long."

Ayame shifted a little until his back found a comfortable position against his pillows. He made sure his focus on her was visible. Now was not the time to play anymore.

"So, I'm pretty sure you remember the explanation about magic and such?"

He nodded. "Yes. Magical energy, or Seele, is a residual energy created by every single living being who haves a soul. Magic is the manifestation of that energy, and different species have different ways of using magic. Humans normally need to use alchemy and mathematics, while others just need to think about it. Sacred Gears are a universal exception, as they project their own magic regardless of who's holding it."

His textbook answer, courtesy of a well-trained memory, was met by Akeno's satisfied smile as she clapped her hands together, ignoring the blood staining her fingers. He was just reciting what he had been told about magic, but it seemed it was right.

"Impeccable! It seems you're quick to catch on, Ayame-chan. That will save us some time. I will proceed to explain other things Rias didn't mention before."

She cleared her throat, and raised a finger.

"First, the _soul_ and the _body_ are different elements that function as a whole. Magic cannot be used by a soul without a body, and a body cannot produce magic without a soul. Each one performs a different, essential task that is necessary when using magic."

Ayame nodded in understanding, prompting her to continue.

"The _soul_ is the element that _produces_ and _stores_ Seele. Basically, it's a container of pure, unadulterated magical energy. The _body_ is the _conductor_, the element that transforms magical energy and projects it in the real world. You could say that you're a gun, your soul is the bullet chamber, and your body is the trigger."

She looked at him with a hint of interest and confusion after finishing her line. If Ayame had to guess, he probably was breaking some rule about magic without knowing it, and that led him to this problem in the first place.

Accordingly, Akeno proceeded to explain what was wrong.

"However, your body has been acting odd. I noticed it at first, but I just thought it was my imagination. Today I was able to confirm it."

She raised her blood-drenched fingers, and looked between them and him.

"I don't know what, and I don't know how, but _something_ inside of your body is producing pure Seele and inserting it directly in your bloodstream. Your soul seems to be creating magic energy normally, but there's another source that's also fulfilling that role within your physical form."

Ayame tilted his head, curious. "I suppose it's not a good thing to have pure magic inside of my blood, right?"

Akeno immediately shook her head.

"Ayame-chan, pure Seele is incredibly toxic for the body. There's a reason our soul serves as the container and our bodies as the filter. The soul can't shape magic on its own, and the body would die if it tried to hold such energy for extended periods of time. It's a perfect synergy that shouldn't be broken and still…"

"….My body is intoxicating me with magic, killing me slowly, and against all normal expectations," interrupted Ayame, finishing that train of thought. "So that's why I was feeling so sick…"

"Sick is an understatement," she continued. "You were literally developing necrosis, Ayame-chan. You were rotting from the inside."

Hearing such a thing almost made him laugh out loud. He had been rotting from the inside long before Seele started swimming in his body.

At least the problem was taken care of. Temporarily, though. They didn't know what was producing magic inside of him, or how to stop it completely.

"You're very luck you had me here~" said Akeno while grinning like the sick person she was. "I'm versed in purification, so getting rid of the corruption was easy. I just needed to stick a finger inside, suck out all of that magic and voila!"

Ayame scrunched his brow. That had been gross and uncomfortable, but it had been effective in the end. He was feeling as good as new.

"So, any ideas of why I'm in this state?" he asked, although he had a vague idea.

Akeno cupped her chin. "…While I was cleansing you, I noticed there were some parts of your body that didn't seem fully… human. They may be related, but I'm not sure…"

The boy had the feeling it was indeed related to his new arm and heart. He only began feeling like this after the night of his death. The hints pointed at that.

However, he had to choose carefully. On one hand, Akeno appeared to be very useful and knowledgeable when it came to magic. She could probably give him a solution, and even lead him to the secret of using magic and unlocking his Sacred Gear, if he had any. On the other hand, she was a mysterious woman whose intentions weren't very clear. She could have been spying him on Rias' behalf, or maybe she wanted to use him. Her mad smile while she punctured his chest wasn't a good incentive to form an alliance with her either. Her idea of fun seemed as warped as Issei's idea of romance. It wasn't new by any means, but Ayame preferred to stay at a safe distance when weirdos were around.

Unfortunately, he didn't have many ideas left. He needed to get rid of every difficulty or weakness that could endanger his life. He needed to be at his peak condition to fight off supernatural beings by himself.

In turn, he also had to be honest. Akeno wouldn't be able to answer his inquiries if he didn't grant her the whole picture.

"…Truth is," he started, drawing Akeno's attention, "the night I died, Yuuma Amano cut off my left arm, and made a hole in my chest. I woke up the next day uninjured, but it seems it was too good to be true."

Akeno stared at him, pursing her lips as she mulled over his short story. She nodded moments later.

"I'm going to make a wild guess, and say that _someone_ or _something_ created a makeshift arm and heart made of solidified magic for you. However, they're still imperfect and haven't merged correctly with your human body, which explains why they're intoxicating you."

Her explanation was smooth. She laid out the blood-chilling facts to him without a hint of nervousness, without a lack of composure. The girl was sure of herself and her knowledge, and while it added a sense of credibility to her testimony, it was also tactless. Her deliverance was effective, but inhumane.

"I would also recommend you to not overexert yourself physically," Akeno said after thinking a little. "The more you force your body to work, the faster it will mix your blood with the magical energy stored in your fake body parts. You're not prepared to fight off a Seele overdose just yet."

Ayame stared at his left hand, his fake hand, and clenched it.

"Is there a way to stop this process? It would be annoying to repeat this… 'cleansing' every time I'm about to expire."

"And here I thought we were finally close enough for you to be a little bit more friendly and thank me for my efforts~" she said dejectedly. She still seemed to be joking. "Honestly, the only possible solution is to control and redirect the flow of magic inside of you. This means you have to learn how to use magic, if you don't want to depend on anyone."

Evidently, it was bound to happen. Ayame didn't mind learning magic… the problem was that he didn't exactly know how. 'Reaching for you innermost feelings' wasn't an exactly good advice either.

He disliked relying on others and having debts, but then again, he couldn't be picky.

"Could you…."

He stopped midsentence, and scratched his brown hair. Akeno looked at him curiously.

"Hmmm? Do you need something, Ayame-chan~?"

Ayame swallowed a lump and clicked his tongue.

"…Could you… help me learn magic…?"

Slowly, her smile widened until it was grating to simply look at it. What more satisfying thing there was than Ayame swallowing his pride and asking Akeno, of all people, to help him? It was so stupid it sounded like a joke.

"Hahaha… hahahahahahahahah!" she laughed, trying to cover her mouth with a hand. "Oh, I never thought this day would come! Ayame-chan himself is asking for my help, hahahahahaha!"

He pursued his lips and dedicated a look of disdain to her.

"Hahaha, b-but of course Ayame-chan~" Akeno rapidly agreed between giggles. "There's nothing as exciting as helping you, so count me in, hahahahahaha!"

After an interminable round of laughs and giggles, she wiped a joyous tear just about to fall from her eye and breathed in. Ayame remained static on his spot on his bed, waiting for the woman to finish mocking him.

"I'm not in love with the idea, just so you know. I just recognize my own limits and the fact that you can help me…" He paused, and stared at her suspiciously. "Also, you accepted my request quite easily. I believed you would ask for something in return."

Akeno tilted her head. "I'm already being rewarded, Ayame-chan. As long as I get to converse with you, I have no problem in helping you in your endeavors~"

Ayame stared deeply at her. Another question formed in the back of his mind at the strange response, and he took some seconds to process it.

"…I have been meaning to ask you this. Why are you pursuing me? What do you actually gain from interacting with me?" questioned Ayame. The fact that he wanted to know just so he could change his demeanor to make her go away was left unsaid.

Akeno introduced herself in his life out of nowhere, without an actual reason for it. Even now, Ayame couldn't begin to understand what was behind her drive to pester him wherever he went was. He wasn't extraordinary. He was just a background decoration that had no real worth as the intelligent and irreplaceable being humans were supposed to be.

"…Hahaha, it's nothing really complicated."

Ayame locked eyes with her and blinked. The raven haired-girl slightly leaned forwards, eyes shining with a certain hint of curiosity.

The boy inched away until the wall behind him became all too real. She was close. Too close for his tastes.

"I just like you, Ayame-chan."

He flinched back a little. A mix of half-assed emotions he would readily name as distrust swelled inside his healed chest. The memory of her finger toying with his heart was all too easy to bring back to the surface. The blood staining her pants and his shirt wouldn't go away so easily. Her smile, sharp and mocking, would not be forgotten.

"Not in a romantic way, of course," she quickly assured, waving a hand at him. "I just find your personality… interesting. Where others would walk away from interacting with a rude and silent individual such as you, I'm only drawn in more and more. Your refusal to talk about yourself speaks of secrets I want to uncover. Your uncontrollable attitude is a promise of many reckless actions you'll perform, and which I want to enjoy."

She raised one of her fingers. Bloody, bloody finger. She licked his blood slowly, red tongue meshing with crimson liquid, and beamed. She showed enjoyment and he showed no discomfort. She could be crude all she wanted; his brother trained him to tolerate crude actions on a daily basis.

"The only thing I want from you is to keep being yourself, yes~? I'm willing to teach you what I know about magic, but you have to talk with me as payment," she explained with a Cheshire cat grin. "That's a pretty good bargain, wouldn't you agree? I'm basically giving you private lessons for free~"

Her choice of words was as obnoxious as always. The boy couldn't help but to shake his head, rejecting the extravagant yet unsuitable way Akeno behaved at all times. He still couldn't understand what she found interesting about him. He was boring, unlikable and dull.

Ayame's objective wasn't to dwell in Akeno's intentions, and he could put up with her creepy mannerisms to a certain extent if she taught him how to use magic. But… not knowing still irked him. He didn't like being played by a fool.

"…Fine, we can talk," Ayame accepted. He exhaled a sigh that was building up in his lungs since their strange, incomprehensible conversation started. "You're annoying, weird and I still can't quite understand what you find enjoyable about me, but I suppose it's a small price to pay for your aid."

Akeno showed a big smile. "I assure you I have the most innocent intentions, Ayame-chan. I may be slightly eccentric, but you won't find a more trustable and reliable person anywhere else~"

'Trustable' was a debatable adjective, but even Ayame had to admit she was indeed reliable. At least within the context at hand.

Still…

"If you're as trustable as you claim to be, then I can believe you're doing this out of your own will, and not because Gremory told you so?"

Akeno didn't seem like the kind of person to always follow orders, but she was Rias' friend nonetheless. By the way she interacted with Issei, Ayame could conclude that she was also a servant, a member of that peerage thing. She wasn't calling the shots if he followed that logic.

The question seemed to take the girl off guard, but she smiled confidently a heartbeat later.

"Oh, don't you worry your pretty little head about that~" the girl said nonchalantly. "I'm doing this because I want to~"

"You're failing to sound convincing, Himejima."

She closed her eyes and shrugged.

"Maybe I'm following orders, maybe I'm not… who knows~?" she responded cryptically. "You normally don't show all of your cards, Ayame-chan. Telling you the reason of why I'm following you around and helping you without asking for more is already a lot of honesty, coming from me. You're quite privileged to be this close to my person already~"

Ayame didn't consider himself privileged for being close to a narcissist such as her. He wasn't fond of her ways or her, in general. However, if he was going to be forced to interact with her more than usual from now on, he wanted to have a deeper understanding of her motivations. He couldn't simply avoid her.

Actions without clear motives were something Ayame didn't want to deal with. He already had his own existential struggles -or lack thereof-. He just hoped Akeno actually had a good reason beneath her acting and pretty words, since their interactions would truly become meaningless if that wasn't the case. If she was just fooling around with him, then she was nothing but superficial trash as everything else.

Akeno saved his life twice in the span of a day. At that point, ignoring her and treating her like an unknown element wasn't an option. However, forcing the answers out of her wasn't something Ayame would do either, as he understood the importance of secrets. In any case, his patience with her was wearing thin. As long as she was useful, though, he could put up with her.

For now, he had to push his mistrust aside and cooperate.

"...Such is my luck. Fine, we can work together," Ayame begrudgingly murmured, scratching his brown hair.

She giggled.

"See? It wasn't so hard, Ayame-chan. I'm sure we'll work together pretty nicely~"

The girl gleefully extended a hand towards him for a handshake. The boy stared at it. He pulled a face.

After considering it a little and coming to the conclusion that being rude would not be helpful in his situation, he interlaced his hand with hers and shook it.

"…I forgot to thank you. You did save me today. Let's not make it a frequent occurrence, though."

"I agree~"

And just like that, she retracted her hand.

"Well! I think it's time to go to sleep. Your mother was kind enough to give me the guest's room and I'm not about to disregard her offer. Try to not stay up too late, Ayame-chan~"

He didn't respond. He wiggled in his bed, sliding down the wall to his stained sheets that would be thrown in the trash in the next morning, because he would not even try to scrap the blood off. He had better things to do and that fluid was incredibly hard to get off when it was dry, or so his mother always moaned. He didn't spare a thought for his guest, who should have been making her way to the door of his bedroom. Yet, somehow-

-Two arms sneakily circled his shoulders, pulling him close.

Ayame flinched. His right hand slapped something soft and he grabbed it. He pushed back before the how or the why even started to make sense in his mind. Defending himself was the priority.

The boy glared at his assailant. The person who dared to assault the personal space of his body snuggled her face closer.

Ayame slapped his right hand unto her face. "No."

She wiggled and tried to get closer. A hug from Akeno of all people was a disgusting idea. He would probably lose IQ points for it.

"…Don't ever do that again. It's gross," he warned.

After a bit of struggle, she sighed in defeat. Her arms returned to her sides, having been unable to trap Ayame in an embrace he didn't fancy at all. Her smile, against his palm, got wider and cheekier by the second.

He let go of her with a shrug of disgust. Her creepiness was hitting new levels.

"You surpassed my expectations once again. I actually thought you would blush for real with a hug." She finally got up from the bed and walked towards the entrance. "Let's see how long it takes me to break that prudish, steely shell of yours. Nighty-night~"

With that last stupidity performed, she walked out and the door clicked behind her as it closed. Ayame was left alone, in silence.

He blinked once, twice, thrice. He felt the nerves, the muscles, the bones of his left arm. It didn't hurt anymore, and it moved like a normal arm. His heart thumped, following a rhythm he knew was normal. It was pumping blood that was slowly being intoxicated once again with liquefied Seele. The damage was imperceptible for now, so he had to take advantage of his good condition while it lasted. Asking for help was more hurtful than anything else.

Ayame was still far away from confronting Yuuma Amano, let alone find her… but he was progressing.

The boy just needed to exercise more caution in the future. Sooner or later, he would be able to take care of himself. Successfully avoiding death as many times as he did was nothing short of good fortune.

Though, it seemed he had other matters to take care of…

He rubbed his temples, allowing an exasperated smile to appear on his pale face.

"…That woman will be my end. I still don't understand her at all."

Some seconds later, Ayame noticed something wet on the palm of his right hand. He raised it to eye level, and grimaced.

There was a stain of fresh blood on his hand. Akeno probably dirtied him with her fingers when they shook hands. He only noticed just now. The red liquid was already drying up, showing the web-like patterns on his palm. The normal thing would have been to wipe it or wash it off with water, but a sudden tinge of curiosity took over him at the last moment.

Ayame reluctantly stuck out his tongue and tasted a small droplet of blood.

He waited for the metallic, raw taste to invade his mouth and combat against his taste buds in an action that was anything but normal.

Yet, he could only purse his lips when the sweet flavor of something akin to honey pleased his senses instead.

* * *

**This is all for today.**

**I understand if the chapter feels slow, but I decided to sacrifice quick progression with more important and interesting interactions between the characters. I was getting too drawn into the action scenes so I wanted to do something tamer, as a breather for me and the readers.**

**I didn't think I would upload before the month ended. I got a nasty fever a couple weeks back and couldn't bring myself to write anything. I underestimated the freezing power of the air conditioner and my punishment was the bed, hahahaha.**

**Kudos to Ciel du Nord for being an awesome human and a reliable beta reader! Without her help I wouldn't have finished this chapter in the time I did. Be sure to check up her stories if you're interested!**

**So! As always, tell me what did you think about the chapter. Did you enjoy Issei's goofiness? Did Ayame's little experience sent shivers down your spine? Was Akeno too scary? Be honest and give me your insight!**

**This chapter was smaller than usual, but I hope it still managed to strike your fancy!**

**Until next time, guys. Stay healthy!**

**(27/3/2020)**


	7. Exhibition

**Phase 1 - Gula**

**Chapter 6 - Exhibition**

* * *

High-pitched whispers echoed around him. They were flung all over the place, invading his ears and mind. His exasperation was growing with each attempt a girl made to sound secretive when she was anything but.

His crumpled sleeves offered no comfort to his heavy head. His hands were cold against the polished wood of his desk. A muscle along his right shoulder was starting to tug and throb, finding the cramped position he chose to rest his head disagreeable. He nuzzled his improvised pillow nonetheless, seeking a position that would ease his self-sustaining vexation.

All he could find was the will to grumble under his breath.

Hidden under his mane of wild brown hair and stashed between his arms, he could grimace all he wanted. It was his only weapon against the excited squeals and girly shrieks of admiration he couldn't completely block. He had decided to slap his forehead against a hard surface and not look at them directly to pretend they didn't act so baselessly… hungry. He had thought his blackened vision would lead him to a bountiful and happier wonderland full of sexy women.

"Kiba-kun, you're so cute!"

Sadly, the sounds they emitted were enough to bare the entrance of his sacred mind ground.

"Do you want to come to the karaoke with us? I'm sure your voice must be as pretty as your looks~"

His throat was dry and achy. Vomit was bubbling in his stomach.

"H-Hey, if you're hungry, would you want part of my lunch, Kiba-kun?"

His nails scratched the surface of his desk as he slowly closed his fists.

He couldn't blame the girls. They didn't annoy him, honestly. Almost any beautiful woman was an automatic trigger for fond memories. It was the _thing_ the girls were trying to jump at. Almost desperately, like hunger-driven beasts that were on the verge of insanity at the sight of a juicy feast, they lunged at the _thing_ and allowed their innermost passions to be heard loud and clear all across the classroom.

The _thing_, as it wasn't something that deserved to be called a human at all -and he really wasn't, objectively speaking-, was a pretty boy the same age as Issei.

His blond hair was the first characteristic one would notice, as he clearly was a foreigner despite his seemingly irreproachable Japanese. Earnest blue eyes like sapphire adorned his gentle and inviting features –and had Issei stared an unhealthy amount of time at them, wondering if his knuckles could make them look less appealing? Well, that's a secret he wasn't ready to disclose. His Caucasian complexion added the finishing touch to the manifestation of what people would surely call 'White knight in shining armor', 'Prince Charming', and such.

How he hated him and all the stereotypes he represented. Kiba Yuuto was a creature that Issei could only despise for he possessed all the qualities that made him so much better looking than Issei -on the surface only, though. Pretty boy couldn't be what he reflected. He had to have some dark secrets and unknown flaws. Issei bet he watched sad videos on the net to make himself cry or some other dastardly behaviors Issei would definitely uncover for the sake of his mental health.

It reminded him of his brother, as they both had the whole European beauty going on, but whereas Ayame looked like a dead fish, Kiba was a beacon that naturally attracted women within a 1 kilometer radium. Or more.

He was also a member of Rias' peerage, and his comrade. But that was a most unimportant thing.

'…_I mean, it's not like I'm a saint or anything, but I ain't gonna put up with golden playboy showing off his charms in front of me either,'_ resolved the somewhat frustrated brunet inwardly. _'Why does he have all the girls and I don't?!'_

In some lone and abandoned corner of his conscience, the boy had the inkling that his lack of female acquaintances had to do something with his habit of making unnecessarily pervert commentaries and getting caught peeking into the dressing rooms. But, of course, he wasn't going to admit his flaws when he could instead direct all of his negativity at Blondie.

"Hahaha, sorry, but I can't compromise," said Kiba as he rejected the girls' incessant offers. "I'm quite occupied. But maybe we could go out some other time, if you're still set on it."

Issei gritted his teeth.

'_You absolute bastard! How can you refuse such a spectacular opportunity?! Are you even a man at this point?!'_

He couldn't believe Kiba. If he were in his place, he would have instantly accepted and begun to sing the national hymn to celebrate his success. Fortunately, the small population of male students also agreed with Issei on that regard. They all hated the pretty boy who dared to refuse a woman's proposal –or many, so many ended in his trap- just because he could.

Kiba truly behaved like a Devil, passively tempting innocent women under false pretenses of a romantic interaction, only to turn them down at a moment's notice. It was an aberration, a sacrilege.

However, the girls didn't seem to mind, and started nodding and collectively accepting that a guy such as Kiba surely had much more important matters to attend to than pleasing them. Even though he wasn't looking at them, he could almost imagine the look of horror and dismay on the girls' faces when Blondie approached Issei's desk.

It was expected. Issei was supposed to attend another meeting at the Occult Research Club, and since Kiba was close by and the same age as him, everyone thought it was a good idea for him to pick the brunet along the way. Everyone except Issei and the girls in his school who stared at Blondie as if he were their savior.

"Good morning, Ise." He could almost _hear_ Kiba's pretty boy smile without facing him.

Issei sneered in the cradle of his arms. He peeked out of his barricade with one eye.

"_Whomst hath given thee the right to speak my name?"_

Kiba was obviously taken aback by the rather strange greeting coming from Issei's hate-filled lips, if his confused humming was anything to go by.

"Ehhh… sorry?" he responded after a beat, scratching his head in the process. "I apologize if I offended you by calling your name so casually. Why are you talking like that, though? Is it a new trend?"

Issei groggily raised his face from his desk. His hair was slightly more disheveled than normal, and the bags under his eyes didn't make him more approachable for that matter.

He mechanically turned his head around. His bones creaked with the slow movement, adding certain flair to the scene he was quite proud of internally. He gave Kiba an overly fake smile with all the friendliness he could manage. It definitely wasn't credible at all, but that was beside the point.

"Ah!" Issei chimed as if he was surprised, ignoring Kiba's questions about his overly strange greeting. "If it isn't Kiba Yumi!"

The blond deadpanned, smiling as his confusion grew even stronger.

"M-My name is Yuuto, not Yumi."

"That's what I said," responded Issei with the most innocently scornful smiley face. "You must have heard wrong."

"Or maybe you misspoke…" The other boy shook his head moments later. "Anyway, I've come to pick you up. Shall we go now? Buchou is waiting."

Issei felt obscenely tempted to keep making fun of his companion, but he wasn't going to waste time if Rias was waiting for him in that precise moment. He already got in a lot of trouble already. The boy was still slightly afraid of facing the redhead at some level, but it wasn't anything they couldn't talk out like normal people.

They quickly walked out of the classroom. Blondie dared to blissfully ignore the death stares the girls who were talking with him just moments ago sent their way. Phrases which involved 'Issei corrupting the prince of Kuoh' were thrown around with great frequency, making the brunet cringe every now and then.

"Hahaha, it seems you're kind of famous, Hyoudou-kun," said the blond with a smile. Issei wasn't sure if he was purposefully ignoring the ill will behind the girls' incessant murmurs, or he was actually that ignorant.

The brunet scoffed. "It's not the kind of fame I appreciate, mind you." Having the girls talking behind his back wasn't nearly as frustrating as being compared to Kiba. It made him more self-conscious than normal.

"You say that, yet still manage to bring attention to yourself quite rashly, Hyoudou-kun."

He couldn't suppress a flinch.

"Really, to fight against two Fallen Angels head-on, without enough physical strength, magical strength _or_ free reign over your Sacred Gear. Even I would consider against it."

Issei looked down, slightly blushing and lips twitching. Kiba's gentle smile was ticking him off by the second.

"And the cherry on top of the cake was when you used the amulet." Kiba daintily tried to cover a snicker behind his hand, but it could be heard all the same. "The thought of it is adorable. I can almost imagine Buchou being unable to get a wink of sleep because of it. Honestly, to worry a lady like that is just very ungentlemanly of you, Hyoudou-kun."

Now that was just cold.

"Oi, Kiba," Issei called menacingly. "If you want me to introduce your face to my fist, just say so."

Kiba smiled warmly at his threat as if it was nothing. Then, after a moment of thought, he began to snicker even louder. The sole sight of it did naught but the opposite of pacifying Issei's conflictive thoughts, which he had trouble hiding the longer he engaged in conversations with a person he didn't like from the get-go.

However, despite his rising anger, a specific inquiry arose from listening to Kiba pointing out his flaws.

"Wait a second. How do you even know I fought with Fallen Angels and used that old charm? It hasn't been a day already."

"Akeno told me about your little encounter very briefly. I stumbled upon her today. As for the amulet…" Kiba placed a hand upon his chest. His eyelids partly covered his too blue eyes from view.

"…Well, I guess it's not my duty to tell you just yet. Besides, I do believe Buchou would prefer to explain things herself."

Issei rubbed the back of his head, not entirely satisfied with the answer. He was getting a little tired of the secretiveness of the supernatural in general. Rias didn't appear to harbor bad intentions or anything, and he honestly wasn't able to get angry at her, but the boy didn't enjoy being treated like a little kid either. It's not like he would be disturbed by knowing more about the new world he was thrown in anyway. A spear to the stomach was bad enough.

Well… he started living as a Devil a few days ago. He couldn't be exactly forceful to get the answers he wanted, as he himself didn't come to accept everything despite his willingness to fight and survive. Waiting a little more wouldn't hurt anyone. He just had to follow Rias' advice for real, and nothing would go wrong. She couldn't keep him in the dark forever, right?

He shoved the though away. No. She wouldn't. The world was too full of weirdos wielding spears and beings far too murderous for his simple human preferences for her to do that.

He nodded to himself subtly. Yes. He sounded logical there, almost on Ayame's level, and if that was not impressive and also a bit depressing, he didn't know what else was.

'_Cheer up, Issei.'_

He just had to be positive! Maybe he would actually become friends with the other members of the peerage. Hell, maybe they could even go out and do silly stuff together! He still felt like a stranger, but that didn't lower the possibilities of him making new friends.

Issei shifted his gaze towards the silent blond teenager walking alongside him. Kiba was waving his hand in a friendly manner to each and every girl who sent a smile or a kiss in his direction. He did it so naturally, so swiftly; it looked like it was out of habit.

…Yeah, maybe he could postpone the start of a new friendship. He still had contextual differences with _some_ of the members.

* * *

**\- ~DxD~ -**

Issei's frustrated ranting and Kiba's obnoxious pretty boy acting eventually met an end as they both reached a hidden mansion. It was standing in an inconspicuous place in the academy's forest, away from prying eyes and mystery-craving fools that would commit a certain mistake if they decided to approach it.

The wooden steps leading to the front door creaked as they stamped on them. Kiba bent his arm and aimed to turn the golden doorknob with his dainty fingers. Then, without warning, the front doors slowly opened by themselves. From the half-lit darkness reigning in the interior of the mansion, a beautiful figure peeked at them with almost glowing violet eyes.

"Come in, come in, my humble guests~"

Akeno's fingers wiggled like snakes trying to enchant their prey, motioning for Kiba and Issei to enter as she waltzed out of the way, leaving them enough space to enter the Devils' den.

"Oh, nice timing, Akeno. How did you know we were coming?" said the blond, smiling at his old friend warmly.

The young woman put a finger over her smiling lips and offered her audience a teasing wink.

"You should know, young Kiba, that a magician never reveals her tricks~"

He readily laughed at her joke before walking past her. Then, her eyes fell on Issei.

"My, my, hello, dear Ise. We meet yet again. I hope it isn't too bothersome to deal with yours truly, both in your house and now here, of all places."

"N-Not at all, Himejima-senpai," he responded, swallowing a lump and then shakily smiling back. "It's always a pleasure to talk with a beautiful person…"

"Awww!" Akeno pinched his cheek softly, and Issei couldn't suppress a blush. "You're so sweet, Ise. Are you sure Ayame-chan didn't fall from his cradle when he was little? It's quite disheartening to have a crooked sibling and not know why~"

"Haha… yeah…"

Issei cringed a little upon seeing her friendly smile, as the memory of her falling from the skies with lightning at her beck and call was still fresh in his young mind. Akeno didn't seem like a bad person, much like Rias herself. However, she was way too theatric and dramatic, so to speak. It was hard to differentiate between the moments she was serious and the moments she wasn't. Now that he had a minute of respite, he was self-conscious around her.

Chills ran down his spine whenever he talked with Akeno. Her personality was hard to read. Her ever-smiling face had an impassiveness that reminded him of Buddha himself, and he wasn't sure if his mere existence could bring any change to her expressions even if he were to slap her.

Issei shook those thoughts away, and decided to step forward. As he did so…

**Bzzzt-**

Something snapped.

His arms shook.

His neck twisted and coiled, jamming his chin in his chest. White and black fought for his vision.

His eyelids shut on themselves. His eyes were twitching out of their sockets.

Issei wheezed.

Static sound filled his ears. Numbness came, crashing and washing over his body as if electricity was travelling across his body.

"Guh… What the… Hell…"

Issei looked back, and caught sight of Akeno covering her mouth with a hand, eyes wide in surprise.

"Oh my. That… wasn't supposed to happen," she said, looking at the open doors suspiciously. "It seems you almost activated one of the traps I put in the clubhouse, Ise."

"W-Why though?" he coughed timidly, trying to straighten his hunched back. "It's not gonna explode, is it?"

That would not be a good start to his day. Not at all. Whatever Ayame would say about him exploding, it couldn't truly rhyme with good.

His senpai giggled. "Nay. My traps are designed to recognize the evil piece inside of your body, so it instantly knows you're not an intruder. It would cause convulsions to anyone else who isn't allowed to enter without my permission."

Convulsions? Now that was scary. And all too familiar for his pulsing muscles, now. Issei gulped.

"I-Is it necessary to go that far?"

"Of course, Ise. We're Devils and death is a common occurrence in our affairs. If we cannot take risks and show our strength, others will trample all over us. Even by supernatural standards, this peerage is too soft. Shall I tell you what others do with prisoners?"

Issei quickly shook his head, lips trembling. "No, no! It's okay, I totally get it! But… what if a normal student just happens to find the clubhouse? Won't they get hurt?"

She smiled confidently as she closed the doors. The lack of sounds the monumental wooden doors produced as they were swung shut was ominous. "That won't happen. I took my sweet time to place many layers of magic fields around this place, and each one has a different effect on unwanted guests. Some people won't register the clubhouse as 'important' and will go away. Others will experience disorientation and headaches. Others will get a sense of dread from the house and run away scared, and so on. It's foolproof, unless someone is skilled enough to dispel my magic, which won't happen anytime soon."

The boy could only gape in amazement at the amount of thoughts put into the security. He was also beginning to understand how much they wanted to keep this a secret, and the fact that they didn't want unwarranted victims either. Maybe he could actually work with that…

"Though, I wouldn't mind seeing what happens if someone manages to drag themselves to the front doors, hahaha…"

…Or not.

"A-Anyway," Issei interrupted Akeno's mad giggling to stir the conversation towards safer lands, "why did I get zapped? I am supposed to be a Devil."

Akeno snorted, like he had just said something funny. "My magic crafting is almost flawless, Ise. If anything, you're the silly goose who goes around peering into the prohibited territories of magic when he shouldn't."

"What's that supposed to mean, Himejima-senpai?" asked Issei with a deadpan.

She put her hands on her cheeks and flashed him a Cheshire cat smile.

"Ahhh, I wonder~"

"That's not a response…"

Akeno seemed to completely ignore him and walked up to the doors once again. She held out her hand, and lightly tapped the wood with the tip of her index.

"_Enclose."_

The words that flowed out of her lips were almost too heavy, and one would even think they were palpable things with weight attached to them. Those were words with innate strength backing their existence, an invisible power that took the form Akeno desired it to have.

Moments after speaking the command under her breath, brilliant yellow marks like circuits lit up from the doors to the ceiling, and across the walls of the house. They vanished into nothingness as Issei let out a quivering exhale. Suddenly, the teen had the feeling that he was trapped in a metal box of sorts. There was a clear diminution of oxygen.

It was the familiar feeling of the unknown. Albeit Akeno was more powerful, more careful, more skilled in her approach, he knew what she had just done.

Akeno had casted a spell. That by itself wasn't so surprising, as Issei had observed magic beforehand. What truly shocked him was how different, how _deep_ it felt in comparison to a simple magic spear. Even in his ignorance, Issei's instincts were almost screaming that Akeno's spell would normally take more than a single word and a flicker of a finger to function, but she still managed to do it. Then, he wondered, was that just his limited human fascination for the unknown supernatural world making the cogs of his brain malfunction, or a warning and a call for him to discover how strong she was beneath that easygoing nature of hers…?

The young woman twirled, hands linked beneath her chest.

"The safety procedures are taken care of. Shall we proceed upstairs? Our dear club president is waiting."

Issei shrugged his shivers and goosebumps away. "Yeah, sure."

They finally began walking forwards.

From the outside, the clubhouse clearly couldn't compete with the size or royal flair that the main buildings of Kuoh Academy showed at first sight. It was worn down. It had plants growing across its walls. If that wasn't bad enough, it was also surrounded by trees and basically no one but members of the club knew where it actually stood. However, behind its dusty doors and tightly shut windows, there was a place that completely overturned one's initial expectations.

A dimly illuminated hallway welcomed them upon entering. A long, long red rug with golden edges covered the path to follow, and beneath it shined a floor of dark wood that had been carefully and well maintained. A red wine color splashed the walls with its hues, mixing well with a white floral pattern.

Issei was given the chance of inspecting the house's many rooms days before, and he could only be amazed at the amount of luxury his eyes spotted every time he let his gaze wander.

The dining room was big and spacious, with a table long enough for 10 people, at least. There were golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, flower pots decorating the aforementioned table, and incredibly beautiful chairs made of dark wood surrounding the monumental furniture.

Going through another door led to the living room, which had a more homely air to it. There were many red couches, most of them particularly turned towards a flat TV screen that occupied a portion of the wall. A small table where people could casually lunge was also present and nearby were bookshelves with varied reads.

There was also a big, _big_ kitchen which Issei thought would put high-quality restaurants to shame. He was still coming to terms with the fact that the house was bigger than it actually looked, and that was saying a lot already.

Apparently, all peerage members except Issei were living in the clubhouse, within their own private suites. Whenever school ended, they all came here and attended their personal lives, before going outside once again to perform their duties as Devils. They also took turns so that each week, a different servant would be given the responsibility of cooking food and make other delicacies for the entire peerage. It seemed to work fairly well.

They seemed happy, all in all. Like a family of sorts.

Issei himself couldn't help but to smile at the idea. Despite his lecherousness and goofiness, he did want friends like that. Now, he had his perverted buddies in crime, Matsuda and Motohama, to goof around with him. However, they weren't what you would call best friends or even "soul mates".

'_Man, it would be awesome to experience something like that…'_ he mused, rubbing his nose. He felt his face relax into a more lighthearted expression. If he could feel this way every time he came to the clubhouse, his future would be rather content.

They quickly took the path upstairs, and after another round of short walking, they finally reached Rias' office, and the meeting room by default.

The doors were opened and they stepped forward.

On one couch was sitting Kiba, casually waiting for them to arrive. He shot them a quick smile of acknowledgment, which Issei returned with a scowl. Damn pretty boy and his long legs. He looked way too comfortable for someone who should have been seated for only a couple of minutes. He couldn't have been in the meeting room for longer than that, however long his disgustingly 'dreamy' limbs were. He couldn't walk that fast.

On the opposite couch was a small girl eating ice-cream. Her body was small and fragile-looking, and her height was much reduced compared to the others. The short hair that adorned her relatively small head was white in color, a tint more or less similar to vanilla flowers. Her eyes, sharp and unexpressive, had a warm amber coloration which stood starkly against her pale complexion. Her facial features were beautiful and childish, not to mention as unexpressive as her eyes.

She was a first year student, which made her a junior, and the youngest of the whole group. She was famous in school grounds for being extremely cute, and was dubbed as 'Kuoh's unofficial mascot', a statement which Issei had to wholeheartedly agree with. Her name was Koneko Toujou.

The moment he stepped in the room, the girl shot him a quick look. Issei returned the flicker of her attention with a smile he intended to make as friendly as possible.

"H-Hello, Toujou-san. How's it going?"

His smile was trembling slightly. She kept staring at him, before shifting her gaze to the table.

"Dumbass."

"W-Why are you being so harsh all of a sudden, Toujou-san!?" cried Issei with a saddened face. "Could you at least pretend you like me?"

"Too complicated."

"Huh… I don't know if your extreme sincerity is good or bad…" he admitted, head dropping a little. She did a small gesture, almost a shrug fo sort, and returned to her ice-cream. Koneko harbored a clear dislike for him. The fact that he started drooling from how cute she was the first time they met may have had something to do with that. It wasn't Issei's fault women were so beautiful, though.

The interaction didn't last much longer, however. They had other matters to attend to.

**Click**…

Akeno closed the doors. With her usually tranquil and smiley face, she walked to a corner of the room, close to Rias' desk. After adjusting her voice, she spoke.

"We're all here now, Buchou," she announced. Kiba and Koneko didn't seem particularly eager to stand up, but Issei tensed up a little. They waited expectantly for the consequent response of their leader, but…

Everyone's eyes fell on the far end of the room, where the desk was. There was a wild mane of deep crimson hair all over the wood, serving as a makeshift blanket of sorts for the person beneath it. Her arms were lazily spread out, and her nails were digging into the piece of furniture a bit too strongly, if the cracked wood close to the fingers was of any indication. One of her shoulders twitched ever so slightly, maybe because of the uncomfortable position. A girly grumble that the others could vaguely make out as silent curses escaped from her lips.

Rias laid face flat on her desk. Nobody seemed to know what to make of it.

"Eh… Buchou?" called Akeno once again. She approached to the aforementioned young woman, and shook her shoulder a few times.

Rias only made some intelligible noises, before slowly lifting herself up.

Her messy hair was only the tip of the iceberg when it concerned her disheveled appearance. As she yawned behind her hand, one could truly appreciate her uncovered face. Her eyes, a beautiful mix of emerald and blue, were bloodshot, which ruined their ever-calm colors quite awfully. Under those eyes, there were prominent bags, clear sign of tiredness.

She looked around the room tiredly while rubbing her face, like a child waking up from a nasty nap. Then, her eyes fell on Issei.

Issei tensed up even more. Dread sat upon him as the elephant in the room waited to be unveiled.

"Ah," she murmured in the most disinterested manner anyone could have ever spoken with. "If it isn't Hyoudou Izayoi."

The room got silent for a little, and Issei felt sweat run down his cheek.

"M-My name is Issei, not Izayoi."

"That's what I said," she stated assuredly while letting another prolonged yawn. "You must be tired or something. You're not listening correctly."

"…No, I'm pretty sure that you're the one who's tired Buchou," rebutted Issei, a look of worry on his face at the weird acting of his master.

She threw her hands in the air and slammed her pretty face onto the desk once again.

"Izayoi, Itsuka, Isshie… Whatever, it's the same thing. I'm not particularly worried about remembering the name of a very naughty servant who doesn't listen correctly when I speak to him, on top of having ignored my clear warnings beforehand." Her dejected tone, albeit weak, had a hint of worry and scolding that simply left Issei feeling chills running down his back. Akeno was one thing, as she didn't exactly command obedience or respect and was more of a friendly big sister, but Rias was another matter entirely. She was his boss, and she was angry at him now.

The young woman used the piece of wood that was her resting place for support as she shakily stood up. She straightened her hunched back with a loud crack, and stepped up towards the problematic boy in question; all the while the other servants followed her with their eyes.

Issei froze in place, his hands a little bit too flat against his thighs in a mock attempt to imitate a soldier's way of acknowledging a superior.

Rias, despite being clearly tired, still managed to exude an air of refinement and ladylike demeanor even as she simply walked towards him. Her slim legs did just the right amount of movement to produce the minimal amount of sound with her every step, but to the brunet, each time her feet touched the ground felt like a tremor inside his mind.

She stopped a few centimeters before him. Being slightly shorter than her servant, she was forced to look up. Issei locked gaze with her, almost out of instinct.

His nervousness was almost palpable, as if he was about to do an exam he didn't study for, but worse. Yet, upon gazing over those beautiful emerald eyes of hers, his slowly opening jaw could only betray him. His brain lost a bit of control, putting more focus on admiring her rather than control the muscles of his face. But despite that, he still felt happy and almost compelled to just stare at her face, which might have been a work of art of the highest order.

Even exhausted and in a sour mood, she was still gorgeous.

"Let's begin."

He stiffened again, and gulped.

"B-Begin with what, Buchou?"

She lifted her right hand in the air slowly, light flickering on her pale refined nails as she extended each individual finger of her hand into a flat position.

Then, Rias took a step forward.

"We're going to begin with fixing you, Ise."

**Shuck-**

His sight shook. Tension coursed his veins and everything snapped. His legs went soft. The only thing that was supporting him was his Master's hand. His arms went numb. His body grew heavy. He hunched forwards, slackening into a puddle of flesh and rubber bones. Nowhere to move, no thoughts to move, just one point he could see and one thing he could watch with something akin to horror rising in his petrified body.

Rias' hand was buried in his chest.

None of the other servants seemed worried or surprised. They simply opted to stare stoically at the gruesome spectacle their master was performing out of nowhere.

Issei trembled. Air stopped moving in his lungs. Rias wasn't looking at him directly, gaze looming over her hand and something only she could see.

"Ah… Agh… Bu… Buchou…"

"It's okay, Ise. This won't hurt a single bit," she interjected quickly, reassuring with what sounded like her usually tranquil and extremely confident manner, but the teenager's ears picked an uncertainty, perhaps imaginary, that made his intestines twist and curl. His voice was caught in his throat, held back by his body's inability to move and his shocked mind.

Her fingers wiggled inside of him, pushing through bones and meat as if there was nothing but air to her. A slushy kind of sentiment began to well up, and Issei could only think about her fingers mixing the contents of his insides into a very disgusting-looking "Issei smoothie". However, it didn't feel like someone stabbing a knife in his flesh. Her hand was warm, almost as if she had put it inside of a fire before starting her experiment with his body. Her movements were gentle and careful. She wasn't so much piercing his body as she was phasing through it.

The woman's appendices began to circle and round up one of his most vital organs. His heart began to beat incredibly fast as she took a firm hold of it.

Issei gasped, releasing the last bubbles of air that hadn't escaped his chest yet. Dots were swimming across his vision and he could only red, red, red hair.

"W-Wait… that's my…"

Completely ignoring his feeble cries, she grabbed his heart, and pulled a little.

"Gah…!"

A red light began to emanate from his chest. Issei could almost smell something akin to sulfur searing through his skin, slowly deforming the natural complexion of his body. Consequently, ethereal rows of crimson colored 'circles' circulating around Rias' hand appeared in thin air, each one with a set of strange symbols he had never seen before engraved on them. They rotated and shrank to a small point in his chest.

"_Show thyself before me, for I am your rightful benefactor and lord."_

**Thump-**

Words, molten steel and gold, were poured inside of his ears. An invisible hammer hit him square on the head, making him clench his teeth to a breaking point. He tasted blood.

**Thump-**

His heartbeat decelerated bit by bit. His body relaxed and his mind hit the verge of unconsciousness. This was it. This was death.

**Thump-**

Rias pulled one last time. After digging through his insides once again, the arcane circles subsided and the red light within Issei was forcibly removed.

Between her index and middle finger was his exposed heart.

"W-Wha… What is…?"

Upon closer inspection, as his body slowly regained some senses and his eyes ceased burning, he noticed a strange phenomenon in the heart his Master was so candidly holding. It had a weird shape, one that reminded him of a pawn, a piece of chess.

"This is your evil piece, Ise."

That's what his King uttered, almost a whisper so low he didn't hear it. His ears rang. At the same time, he couldn't help but to recognize such object as his heart, or at least, the element that served as such.

'Disgusting' was the best adjective he could label that thing with. A dark-red light was emitting from the artifact, a color his mind mistakenly believed to be rotten meat shifting and moving. If he pushed the idea a little further, he could say that thing was alive and pulsating, performing questionable tasks within his body he was unaware of. The boy felt a pull towards it. The piece desired to go back inside of Issei, and Issei himself felt a burning desire to snatch the piece away and swallow it whole, even though the sole thought of doing so irked his mind and disgusted his dying consciousness.

A straight red luminous string connected the piece to Issei's chest. Another red string seemed to be pointing at Rias' chest, but it was… fickle. Almost nonexistent. It flickered in and out of the world ever so slightly, each passing second.

Rias sighed. Her young, young face aged a little as tiredness combined with apparent disappointment were mixed in her emerald eyes, tainting her beautiful complexion.

"How shameful. I never thought I would be doing this with one of my servants. I suppose there _is_ a first time for everything," she muttered, more to herself than anyone else. "I'll take it as a learning experience."

Issei couldn't speak. His bodily functions were stopping completely, and his body had grown a little cold. His eyes blinked weakly, trying to keep himself awake. The urge to reunite himself with his 'heart' was maddening, and the figures of his peers around him were blurring.

Rias raised her hand over the piece.

"_Thou who hath strayed from the eternal bond of flesh and soul our ancestors bestowed upon us, come hither, and abide to my calling."_

The evil piece began glowing and pulsating, and Issei could have sworn his heart followed the same rhythm, which only reinforced his previous notion about it being alive.

"_Thou who hath forsaken his place as an extension of my strength, as my loyal sword and shield, and as my fated sibling of another blood, remember your duty."_

The light emanating from the evil piece grew brighter, and sparks began crackling around it.

"_Never forget the covenant that binds and pierces through us, imprinting the Devil's heritage and its mission in our souls."_

As words of power flowed out of her mouth, the red string connected to Rias that was previously so feeble gained a stronger, more visible coloration.

As if gravity had suddenly inverted towards him, Issei felt he was being crushed from all sides. Extreme dizziness and a terrible urge to vomit took over him, and perhaps, if he wasn't so weak and without energy, he would have given in to the instinctual reactions and heaved his intestines out.

"_I welcome you with open arms once again, valiant servant of another blood. May our souls withstand the test of time, and the might of the inescapable Fate."_

Seemingly finished, and with the swirl of pure energy dancing around them subsiding, she extended her index and carefully pushed Issei's 'heart' back where it was supposed to reside.

The object sank into Issei's chest quite easily, almost as if his body had eagerly yearned for this return and has thus devoured it.

He stumbled back, managing by some coincidence to land on one of the couches and not hurt himself. The thumping of his heart started anew, and each pulse sent a jolt of pain right to his brain. Bit by bit, warmth crawled beneath his skin, to the tip of his fingers, then across his shoulders, throughout his back, upon his legs, feet, and right back to the center of his chest. Just then did he realize how cold his body had grown during that short lapse of time.

Seconds later, his tiredness completely disappeared. Better yet… he felt renewed, as if a kick of adrenaline had woken him up, giving him energy to do anything at any given time.

"What the… What was that?"

He grasped his shirt, knowing there was no danger. Then, he looked forward.

Issei's confusion only strengthened itself thanks to the scenery offered to his young eyes. Akeno, Kiba and Koneko, the three of them had a hand resting upon their chest. Although Koneko seemed to dissimulate it a little bit better, the boy could clearly see a somewhat relieved expression on their faces, not much different from the kind of face he would make after getting out of a nasty problem. Were they… tired or something?

His guts were telling him it was probably something worse than being tired and he utterly disliked his guts at that point in time.

He looked at the person right in front of him, seeking answers.

Rias huffed upon meeting Issei's stare. She placed one arm beneath her chest, and with her other hand, she rubbed her face. He dared to say she looked kind of… brighter? The exhaustion overflowing from her appearance had just vanished in a few seconds.

"Huh… that's so much better. I honestly didn't believe I would pull it off on my first try ever…" Rias contemplated, still rubbing the tiredness off her temples.

"Buchou, could you please tell me what's going on now?" Issei requested with a bit more emotions that he intended to. All heads turned to look at him. "I really want to know. It feels like I'm being left out here. Aren't we supposed to be comrades?"

This time, the young woman stopped ignoring him and gave him her complete attention. A few seconds passed with her simply staring at him, processing his question and wondering how to respond accordingly.

She sighed. "Sorry, Ise. The problem is that your fight yesterday affected all of us, in one way or another."

Issei tensed. What? "But why? I didn't do anything that could have…"

"Yes, you did. Think about it, Ise. What was the special ability of the gift I gave you, the one you used yesterday?" she inquired with a knowing expression. "You surely remember that, after fulfilling its purpose, the amulet would drain your soul and give it to me through our link."

Surely after saying that, the pieces of the puzzle fell in place. The amulet was a last resource he was supposed to use when one of his clients made a wish too stupid and impossible to fulfill normally.

"That must mean you took away my soul or something…?"

She shook her head.

"Ise, I can't absorb my servant's soul. Your soul is directly mixed with the evil piece I put inside of you, and consuming your soul would mean consuming the evil piece too. Needless to say, I can't use my own evil pieces on myself."

Rias closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, as if rejecting a bad memory. The moment she exhaled, several crimson 'threads' appeared in thin air out of nowhere. These flickering threads soon became apparent, and he knew what they were, for he had seen the same thread connecting him to Rias just minutes ago.

The threads came from Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko. A red light shone in the center of their chests. All lines converged towards their King.

"The evil pieces fulfill two purposes. One is turning you into a Devil. The other is linking your soul to your master's, so that I can monitor your condition and keep your piece in check. It's a two-ways link; in exchange for my protection, you supply me with the souls humans sell to you. A King piece doesn't exist because it's not necessary for me to use it."

She followed the threads with her eyes, and traced their trajectory with a finger experimentally, making them vibrate gently. Issei felt his heart speed up happily at the touch, yearning for more.

"When you used the amulet and tried to feed me your life essence, my body rejected it immediately and our connection was severed. As you can probably conclude, that was the reason I looked so exhausted. It caused a shock in me, preventing me from sleeping," she raised one hand and waved at her other servants, "and the feedback also disrupted my connection with the others. That's a very grave situation, Ise. If I can't alleviate the excess of power coming from the evil pieces, my servants will suffer for it."

"Ah, not to mention," interceded Akeno, "remember you almost fell into one of the clubhouse's traps? That's because your evil piece was 'disconnected' from Buchou. My magic is supposed to allow total entry to Rias' peerage, but since you're just a 'random' Devil, since there's no connection to your master… you follow my idea?"

He let the words sink in one by one. Yesterday night had been an incredibly desperate situation, of course, and he did manage to get out of it alive. Yet, despite that, he only made others worry about him, and on top of that, he caused problems to his club president and comrades. To him, it had first been an unfortunate coincidence that came at the price of helping his family. Little by little, he realized his actions had had more impact, had caused more ripples than he was prepared for.

"Fortunately enough, I did memorize the standard spell to fix our link, spell I never thought I would ever use. And I'm sure everyone here is feeling much better, that's for sure…." Rias crossed her arms and lowered her head, her features acquiring a serious edge. "…But no, that's not the main problem here, Ise."

The redhead approached him slowly, and Issei couldn't exactly find the words to express his apologies. None of them seemed to be enough to compensate for his failures. The fact that his Master was almost circling him as a predator would did not alleviate his rising shame and discomfort.

"…I'm angry with you, but not because you caused us problems or anything like that. I'm angry because you acted recklessly; you put yourself in pointless danger, just because you disobeyed a clear warning of mine. _None_ of my servants will be hurt or worse if I can help it. But how can I take care of someone who doesn't show the smallest concern for himself?"

She put a hand on his shoulder, her grip tender and gentle. There was still warmth emanating from her fingertips. Issei looked down. He couldn't bring himself to look up and face her.

"I understand we haven't known each other for long, but you're part of our… our family, basically." From the corners of his eyes, he could see the others nodding in acceptance. "And family members look after each other. It's unconventional, I know, but I can't think of it any other way. I don't want any of you to get hurt."

Moments passed. His heart beat against his sternum, reminding him of who he was and what he was now. Her hand eventually left his shoulder and returned to her side.

"So, that's why I want you to promise that you will listen to me. Not just for our sake, but for yours too, Ise."

She allowed the command to linger in the air, so as to let her pawn understand his position. The other members of the peerage watched and listened intently as the situation unfolded. It wasn't a necessarily terrible situation, but there was a general knowledge of danger. They all were aware that one misstep could bring death to their footstep. Issei himself knew the why of all this scolding, all of this 'you were stupid, Issei' dressed up with pretty words.

All eyes were on him, waiting for him to say what needed to be said.

"Hahaha… Man, I really screwed up big time, eh…?"

He got up from the couch to his full height. His head hung low for some seconds, in a defeated and accepting stance, and then he looked forward again.

Brown eyes met emerald ones.

"Okay, I get it. I was stupid, and reckless, and I put my life in danger and I also bothered everyone here needlessly…"

Issei crossed his arms defiantly. His heart thumped against his ribcage.

"…But ya know what? I ain't regretting what I did. Not one single bit," he said firmly, and almost everyone rewarded his attitude with a surprised expression. Rias stared at him sternly instead.

"You yourself said it, Buchou. You gotta take care of your family. Wanna know why was I hanging out at night even though it was dangerous? That's because I helped my brother," he affirmed without skipping a beat. "My bro is a dumbass, a sloth, and a total Edgelord. But at the end of it all, he's also my only brother, and I love him. I would be scum if I didn't lend a helping hand to a person who carries the same blood as me. I wouldn't be able to look at my mom in the eye if one day I came back without my big brother because of me doing nothing to help."

Issei uncrossed his arms and pointed his thumb towards himself with a slight smile.

"I am sorry for making y'all worried, and I'll try to be careful, but I make no promises. If I see someone getting hurt without deserving it, or someone who needs help, then I'm the one who's gonna jump into the fray first." There was a pause. He lowered his hand, and his smile seemed to be a little bit brighter now. "That also includes you guys."

"Huh…?" murmured Rias. Her brows were arched and low, expressing an emotion she rarely showed to the world. She was surprised.

"Yeah, I mean…" Issei stopped for a second and rubbed his nose as he looked away, trying to hide a bashful smile that just did not want leave his lips. "…You said we're a family of sorts, right? That means I have to take care of you too. I ain't letting anyone hurt you, even if it means I have to be stupid and risk my own life again. And if it only means I'm gonna be yelled at when all is over, then you can bet your whole money I'll be stupid a thousand times and more."

Issei grinned toothily. It was the kind of grins that let him off the hook all too often with his family, even when his brother was beyond annoyed with him. He had a talent for bothering his big bro, but he was gifted in avoiding Ayame's witty remarks too.

"'Sides, the only reason I'm alive is because of you, Buchou. You're right; we haven't known each other long enough to even really care about each other. But if the person who saved my life says we're family, then we'll be the damn best family there is in the whole town."

Silence fell upon the meeting room. The brunet kept on sporting his winning grin to show his goodwill even though his cheeks were starting to hurt. He had to show he cared. He had to show he wasn't joking. The peerage just stared at him after his little speech.

Issei had no reason to feel ashamed. He did the right thing. He didn't need to prove anything to anyone. Everyone called him a pervert and an idiot, and he was completely fine with that. He could always look up and smile at them fools, because he at least was truthful to himself.

He waited and waited and waited for an even harsher scolding. He waited for them to call him an absolute idiot as it was customary, yet…

…Issei could only feel his smile falter in surprise, seeing the smiles on the faces of his new comrades.

"Hmmm, sweet and noble at that! It seems our little junior was quite the catch, Buchou~!" interceded Akeno with a goodhearted chuckle. "My good old friends, let's make sure to treat our new addition well. You don't find a young man as bright and honest as this everywhere~"

Kiba nodded in acknowledgment, smiling with half-lidded eyes. "Indeed. It's the kind of person I could trust to watch my back. Honesty and trust between comrades leads to victory in battle."

The youngest of them all, Koneko, raised a thumb up as she munched her ice-cream, her expression unchanged.

Issei looked at each of his comrades, gaze flickering from one to the other. His cheeks were turning red and he couldn't find the right words to say, his mind flustered by what he was seeing and hearing. Were they actually accepting him? "Guys…"

Then, he remembered that the person who seemed worried about him the most was still in front of him. Issei refocused his gaze on Rias once again.

If smiles were able to transmit actual warmth, the beautiful expression Rias showed as her lips subtly curved upwards in a satisfied smile would have melted down the North and South poles without a problem. Issei felt his heart skip a beat, and the idea that he was experiencing a stroke wasn't so farfetched anymore.

She sighed and took a step forward.

"Ah, how troublesome…"

Once she was close enough, she raised a hand over Issei's head. She patted him and scratched his hair sweetly. Issei allowed her to run her fingers through his hair, feeling tickles. He couldn't suppress a very prominent blush at having such a beautiful woman in front of him, so close, touching him.

"…What am I going to do with you, my cute, dummy servant?"

Issei let out a nervous laugh, which made Rias giggle in return.

A few heartbeats later, she stepped back and stopped her show of affection.

"I commend you, Ise. While I don't exactly agree with the idea of you getting hurt for free, it satisfies me to know you're doing it out of pure kindness and camaraderie. It's a great virtue to be able to live according to your ideals. Since you're so adamant on being a dummy, then that means we just have to protect you while you protect us in return. Does that sound good, everyone?"

Everyone nodded in sync, accepting and shouldering the will of their King.

"Excellent," she commented with an inspiring smile. "Now that we're all finally here, and our little difficulty has been solved, I would like to step things up and introduce our new member to a Devil's duty."

Trying to rein his rising excitement in, Issei couldn't stop a question from escaping his thrilled lips.

"What's the new task, Buchou?"

Rias smiled at his quick response and gave an answer of her own.

"You have experienced the tame part of a servant's life up until yesterday. Since you're now accustomed to violence, I will proceed to show you firsthand what you may end up doing in the future. Tell your parents you will be home late."

The redhead walked back to her desk and sat down. She linked her hands together and rested her chin on them.

"Tonight, we shall hunt."

* * *

**\- ~DxD~ -**

The wind's wailings turned into a natural, perpetual companion for as long as the sky was dark in a night as cold and as empty as the one that settled upon Kuoh. Without the characteristic noises that crowds of people produced in broad daylight, the wind acquired a menacing presence, auguring uncertain events with more prominence than it could have had it been completely silent, for it was sometimes muted by random creaks and screeches and sometimes overwhelming the ears still awake. The moon was brilliant, illuminating parts that some streetlights had trouble reaching, yet it also managed to project unnerving shadows around the corners, creeping and dancing in the pale light. Another element to exalt the eeriness of such a night.

In a place that lacked the accumulated presence of humans, at times where there was no one around, predators took the stage. They took many forms, ranging from the preys they stalked, to more horrific appearances that only the most perturbed minds could conceive.

Within that muted night, a small group casually strolled throughout the streets, mingling with the shadows.

One thing Issei could begrudgingly admit, despite his pride as a guy, was that his guts had twisted painfully when he had stepped outside the club to embrace that peculiar nighttime. Fear, dread… Something was unsettling him profoundly. He couldn't blame his supper for his upset stomach; his mother had outdone herself after he had admitted he was going out with new friends.

Per his past experiences, the boy was now aware that his chances of surviving another day decreased dramatically according to the position of the sun. He couldn't simply avoid dangerous situation if the people who wanted to kill him for being a Devil could _smell_ the fact that he was a Devil from a mile away.

Twice he almost died, twice he got saved. As in all rhymes, the third time was the last, so he definitely had to refrain from pushing his luck too much.

Though… having Rias and the others marching alongside him towards their objective was pretty calming. They chatted with each other and had a rather friendly demeanor, but Issei knew better than to underestimate them. They held themselves with confidence, as if pointing out a stupidly obvious fact. They knew that, with their numbers, no monster that would dare to creep out of a corner would be enough to beat them.

He and Rias trailed behind everyone else. Walking in front of them were Kiba and Akeno, who shared jokes and inconsequential daily experiences while making varied appreciations. Koneko marched at the very front, seemingly leading the group.

"Eh, Buchou…" said Issei sheepishly, "what is the thing we're hunting, exactly?"

She hummed as she caught a lock of her crimson hair, twirling it around her index playfully. Her expression was one of calmness. She almost looked bored, or maybe she was deep in thought.

"A Devil." Her lackadaisical response prompted Issei's wish to ask for more details, but Rias continued before he could blrut out his thoughts. "And no, it's not the kind of Devil that makes you think of myself or Akeno, for example."

Well, he was tempted to say Akeno was another kind of Devil for another reason entirely, but he remained silent about that. He wasn't gonna make judgments just because his upperclassman was… a little scary. Just a little. A very tiny little that could relatively be a lot.

Ayame looked like he was eating whole lemons every time he talked with the beauty. His big bro was not one to look so sour around anyone. He normally was bland with people, not sour to the point of actually being mean.

"You see, evil pieces are actually very unstable. The process in which they turn a normal person into a Devil is much more complicated and dangerous than just giving you cool powers," she explained. "Devils are creatures of darkness. We become stronger by feeding off of human emotions. We are greedy when we want something, lustful when we like someone, and angry when things don't go our way. Our powers are shaped by our imagination and desires. Our bodies are incredibly sensible to our emotions."

He listened intently, clasping the fabric of the clothes on his chest area. The thing that worked as his heart beat against his chest, mocking his fears.

"For you to be considered a full-fledged Devil, the evil piece needs to make extreme changes. First, it roots itself deep into your soul and 'taints it' with demonic power. Then, it reshapes your mind and makes you far more susceptible to your normal inclinations. Finally, it strengthens and transforms your body in proportion to your emotions. This is the reason you have wings or are able to use Devil magic."

…All of a sudden, being turned into a Devil sounded far more unsettling than Issei had anticipated firsthand. His brain was able to conceptualize most of what she said, but if he let his imagination push his train of thoughts further, the end results didn't seem nice. Taint his soul? Reshape his mind? Strengthen his body? It sounded so simple, yet a corner of his reason had trouble accepting it.

Could it be so simple? So... reasonable? Unwillingly, his memory took him back to his childhood and bedtime spent listening to stories where magical deals were always two faced. Magic, here, seemed almost too easy to comprehend, too easy to accept, too sweet a deal.

"Soul, mind and body… this order is not coincidental. It prepares you for a new life. Your soul needs Devil Seele for you to be a Devil. Your mind needs to be more daring, more emotional so that the impulses any Devil experiences don't break your judgment. Your body has to respond to those new feelings and change. It's a splendid system, if I may say so myself."

Her praise was accompanied by an excited twinkle dancing in her eyes, which vanished as soon as it came into existence. She coughed as if to change the mood, even though her behavior didn't change much throughout the conversation. The boy couldn't suppress a little smile at how cute she looked, so flustered she was at her own excitement.

"Anyway, you're probably wondering why I'm telling you this. Before, I said that the link between master and servant was incredibly important. Evil pieces are constantly producing demonic power, which responds to your emotions. If your emotions are strong, there will be a leakage of that same power inside of you. Our link allows me to absorb that excess."

Issei, who had been listening raptly to her explanation, pulled a strange face. Up until now, he was pretty much in the dark in relation to supernatural stuff. However, he had had encounters with dangerous beings before. He felt with his flesh the strength of magic. He also felt fear. But, although his mind was clouded by emotions and sensations at those times, the details didn't escape him.

"…Well, let's say that some peerages don't have the same stability," she continued as her voice lost a bit of strength. "For one reason or another, some servants end up running away from their masters. Sometimes, they kill them."

The boy remembered. Dohnaseek, the man who tried to kill him. He remembered him and his incessant speech about things he couldn't care less about. Yet, one certain thing was slowly resurfacing.

"These servants who have gone rogue are, often, violent creatures. The lack of master renders them unable to control the excess of demonic power their evil piece pours in their system. Their souls are then corrupted. Their minds are twisted into a shadow of what they once were. The strongest of them all are able to dominate the evil piece and look normal, but…" a pause, and then a sigh, "…The majority doesn't share such strength of will."

For a moment, he believed Rias' voice overlapped another. The man, Dohnaseek, spoke such words.

_Without a master that controls the flow of demonic power inside of you, the evil piece will start to corrupt your soul. Sooner or later you will kill people just to feed on their souls and any trace of your previous persona will disappear._

Quite unfortunately, the murmurs replayed inside of his mind weren't any brighter for that matter.

Ironic yet darkly true.

Same horrible words, same tone, different intentions. Different intentions. Issei grasped the idea and did not let go of it, intent on controlling his erratic heart. Rias wouldn't hurt him.

Issei gulped and choked out words came out.

"…S-Stray…"

A low murmur coupled with rising anxiety. A denomination he believed to be a simple insult when he heard it just a day ago. Yet, the dots connected one by one the more he discovered and understood what kind of dark comedy was playing in front of him.

Rias' head snapped in his direction, looking slightly amused.

"…Well, yes. We do call them 'Stray Devils' for reference, though it's a colloquial term. The formal term for them is **אֲבוּדִים**."

'_Avudim'_. During a few painful heartbeats, his ears failed to catch the actual pronunciation, though it also took a couple seconds to suddenly decipher what it meant, as if he actually knew all along. Whatever the language, he had a gut feeling that it wasn't Japanese. Was the magical Devil translator inside of his head malfunctioning or something…?

Never mind that. What truly mattered here is that Dohnaseek's words, which he believed were only aimed to break his spirit and trust in his master, were taking a sinister turn. At first he simply didn't think they were true. But looking back to it, the blood-chilling explanations only seemed to gain more and more credibility.

"Ise?"

The boy almost yelped in surprise. He flinched back a little. What did he actually get into when he was resurrected by his upperclassman? His cheeks ached and he then realized he was pulling a face and not a nice one.

Rias' expression had a hint of worry. "Is everything okay? Are you feeling funny?"

"N-No, no," he instantly responded, putting up the best smile he could. "I was just shuffling through the details and… I guess I'm a little bit uncomfortable to have an evil piece inside of me now, hahaha."

His half-assed joke mixed with real preoccupation wasn't taken as funny, however. Rias' face showed more and more concern, although her composure wasn't broken.

"…I know it's dangerous, and I have an idea of how it makes you feel. But don't worry," Rias assured while lightly tapping his shoulder. His heart beat to her tune. "I will try to be a good master and refrain from giving you reasons to run away. In return, I only ask for your trust."

Issei gulped again, his face relaxing a little. Yes. Rias was trustable.

She wasn't denying that being a servant was a distasteful role if his end result was being a Stray the moment he turned his back on her. However, she did treat him well enough. The others seemed to obey her, not out of fear, but out of real loyalty. She had done nothing to hurt him or hurt his family. He could do this.

…Of course, maybe that was the point. Rias had no reason to lie if that ended up backfiring against her plans. At the same time, she could have had hidden everything from him and kept him ignorant to that danger until much later, maybe forever. The fact that she had told him the truth was remarkable, considering it would have been beneficial for her to deny his lack of free reign without her completely.

All things considered, Issei didn't like the idea of being a slave. He didn't like the idea of turning into a human-eating monster either. Both options were undesirable. But, wasn't she making everything possible for him to not screw up? That surely had to mean something.

Ah, this was dumb. What was the point of doing mental gymnastics? That was Ayame's hobby besides sleeping till he dropped dead and making snarky comments, not his. Issei already said he would protect Rias and the others. As a man, he couldn't leave a debt unpaid.

"It's okay, Buchou. Just 'cause this evil piece mumbo jumbo is shady doesn't mean you're gonna take advantage of it. I don't think you're that kind of person," the brunet confidently told her. "I refuse to believe a girl as cute as you would hurt a fly."

Rias closed her eyes and let a satisfied smile flicker on her face. She tapped her slim fist against Issei's shoulder.

"Keep your flirting to yourself, kid. Remember I'm still a year older. You still have a long road before you make me blush. And besides, you shouldn't judge my ability to hurt by my appearance." Her smiley expression seemed one of enjoyment despite her negative response.

Issei smiled back. "Sorry. The words just flow out when the incarnation of the word 'beautiful' is in front of me."

The redhead giggled and suddenly, she wasn't a dark master of evil arts anymore but a young flower that glowed, and of course, his concentration was broken. Why were women so cute? If being adorable was a sin, Rias would go to Hell, no questions asked. Now, she was a Devil, so…

'_And her breasts are incredibly big… I don't think one hand would be enough to fully grab one of them…'_ Such lecherous thoughts almost made him salivate before he shook his head. He had to focus. This wasn't the time. he could think about that later, in his dreams…

"I'm glad you're so reasonable, Ise. This wouldn't exactly be the same if I had to watch over you all the time."

He nodded enthusiastically. His eyes then refocused on his comrades walking in front.

"Sooo… how are we gonna find this Stray?"

The young woman did a slight movement of her chin, pointing to the servants walking a few steps ahead of them.

"Koneko has good senses. She's leading us to the Stray by smell. Once we're close enough, Akeno will pinpoint the exact location by tracking their Seele."

Issei scratched his brown mane.

"…How do Stray Devils smell anyway?"

She looked away, smile vanishing into a neutral expression.

"Like blood."

Her comment was met with silence, as Issei knew better than to keep making small talk after that. It would have been wrong. Too many implications were hidden behind her answer and he wanted to mull over them as much as he wanted to escape them.

They kept walking. Eventually they abandoned the residential area and ventured into the poorer parts of Kuoh. After passing by decrepit houses and clearly inhabited sewers, they finally reached an abandoned place. It was a factory that had closed some time ago. It was turned into a junkyard soon enough and not many souls were seen around except for rats that looked straight out of a horror movie thanks to their sheer corpulence alone.

Koneko stopped in front of a broken fence which encircled the entire compound, with the group following, hot on her heels.

After some indiscrete sniffs, she turned around and pointed a finger behind her.

"There."

Rias walked up to her and patted her head, congratulating her for a job well done. Koneko closed her eyes and accepted the gesture silently, corners of her lips quirking just enough to pass as a semblance of a pleased smile. It was noticeable on a face normally so expressionless.

Kiba crossed his arms as he got a good look at the place.

"Why do they always choose to hide in the nasty places?" questioned the blond upon seeing the wreckage called an edifice sprawling before them, sounding either amused or slightly annoyed. "It's almost insulting to be searching in the trash for our targets. Our abilities should be deserving of something more dignified."

"Now, now, Yuuto, don't you know that lowly rats prefer to make themselves at home in the humid and dark places?" reasoned Akeno as she caressed her cheek. "It's a sign of their weakness. They would rather stalk and kill from the shadows than upfront. We just have to lure them out~"

Rias nodded, agreeing. "Exactly. Which is why, I want you all to give your best and show Ise what you're capable of. And Ise…"

"Yeah! What do I have to do, Buchou?"

She looked at him and smiled.

"Be sure to stay besides me. Strays like to strike from behind, and you're the weakest. It'll surely come for you if we leave you alone."

Issei understood her reasoning. Whatever she wanted to show him, it didn't include her, which meant she had the responsibility of protecting him. He approached her, maintaining a distance of some centimeters yet still somehow feeling as if he were clinging to his mother's skirt as he had once done a long time ago.

After making sure Issei was at her side, she turned around and set her sights on a small aperture in the fence. A chain was tied around the gaps and secured with a rusted lock. She took it in her hand and turned it around.

"Huh… I suppose illegal trespassing is beyond us at this point in time. We have done worse anyway."

Rias slightly tapped the lock with the index of her free hand.

A red light shined for a brief moment-

**CRACK!**

-And subsequently, the lock exploded, freeing the chains in the process.

The newest addition to their band of criminals watched intently as the piece of worn metal slowly melted down and lost shape, black-red flames burning what was left of it. The young woman pushed the fence open and stepped in, signaling for everyone to enter with a wave of her hand.

"Where is our objective, Akeno?"

The raven-haired huntress hummed for a moment, directing her sight to the main edification.

"This one is not as sneaky as the others. It's hiding right inside the only place with a roof. I guess we have to be thankful~"

"The factory, then."

The group kept marching with coordinated steps towards the main building, raising small clouds of dust from the dirty ground and neatly dodging the piles of junk accumulated on the disappearing ground. Every now and then Issei's sight diverted towards towering shadows that his mind mistakenly believed to be silhouettes of giant monsters of some sorts, only for his vision to prove him wrong as he stared at pieces of twisted metal. His nose twitched at the terrible odors that wafted around, so strong they left a metallic aftertaste on his tongue. Everyone's attention was on the factory itself, and yes, Akeno did say the Stray was there and only there. But forgetting caution wasn't exactly appealing right now.

They reached an entrance. They were big metallic doors split in the middle. There were handles to slide them open in the opposite direction. They showed signs of decay and rust, much like the rest of the place.

"Koneko," Rias called.

The small girl made a sound of confirmation. She stepped towards the rusty and thick metal handles, grabbing them both with a hand each.

Issei tilted his head, slightly baffled. He had to control his urges to step forwards and help the petite girl. She was so terribly tiny. What could she do to such huge doors with her so ridiculously small hands?

"Buchou… is it fine to let her do it alone? Those things look heavy. I… think we should help."

However, the redhead raised a hand to stop his questions and showcased a small smirk.

"There's no need. Remember when I said you shouldn't judge my ability to hurt just by my appearance?" she asked spiritedly. "It also applies to them."

Issei snapped his attention back to Koneko. The small, fragile-looking girl pulled the handles away from each other. Her seemingly weak arms trembled, sign of effort. Against those metallic gates, someone as insignificantly tiny as her couldn't do anything to open them. Issei looked with pity while she struggled.

His right foot advanced.

However…

**Creak-**

The gates visibly budged and vibrated. A screech like that of metal being bent resounded.

Soon enough-

**BAM!**

-Both doors were violently trashed towards their respective sides, a path inside the factory opening with no resistance whatsoever. The walls shook and cracked. Some degraded windows even broke thanks to the shaking. Big gusts of winds combined with dust arose and blew everywhere.

Issei gaped in astonishment at the incredible show of brute strength. Rias looked back at him with a smug look.

"See?" she said triumphantly.

The brunet gulped, and slowly nodded, acknowledging that Koneko was someone he definitely didn't want to have an arm contest with. She would crush him and he didn't have that kind of kink, thank you very much.

Issei made sure to not stray too far away from Rias as they strolled inside slowly, minding the particles of dirt still dancing in the air.

The factory was as dirty and as abandoned as he first believed. Concrete pillars that were cracked on their entire length, their paint scrapped off by angry teenagers leaving their marks and rodents having a feast, barely managed to hold the slowly crumbling ceiling, or what was left of it. Pieces of badly maintained or even destroyed machinery were spread across the place here and there. Rubble accumulated in some corners.

The light of the moon shone through the gaps of the ceiling, illuminating some spots as others remained in darkness.

Akeno clapped her hands conspicuously as she took some steps forward.

"Come, little Stray. Come out and play with us~" she said goofily and with an excited smile, completely forgoing any safety. "It's not good manners to keep a lady waiting, and you really don't want to see big sis here angry~"

Rias and Kiba laughed a little at her call, although they tried to muffle it. Issei couldn't really bring himself to giggle with them, instead opting to watch how this newfound bizarreness unfolded.

"Now, Akeno. I know you don't enjoy hunting Strays and want to get this done, but I want to do this in order," Rias told her Queen, who stopped waltzing around the place as if she owned it. "Koneko will do the honors."

Akeno huffed jokingly and crossed her arms. A pout adorned her delicate features and it would have made Issei's heart melt into a puddle if only they weren't hunting a monster and she wasn't expressing joy at the very idea of hunting. "Ahhh, okaaaay."

As wordlessly as ever, Koneko passed by a pouting Akeno and went deeper into the place, looking from one corner to another as she tried to find her objective. Her small hands were clenched into fists, raised at stomach level. An eerie silence prolonged itself, with only her footsteps breaking it.

In such dark dwelling, Issei could see as clear as day. Being a Devil meant he had better vision at night too.

But, therein laid the problem.

Some shadows, he could not distinguish. Shadows that shifted weirdly. Shadows that slithered across the ground. Shadows that moved as quickly as his gaze flickered to catch them.

Nervousness took over him, sending his heart into a race it couldn't win. Then, numbness spread and Issei knew what he was feeling. He could reason with his emotions all he wanted but he knew and couldn't fight the fact that his nervousness had morphed into paralyzing fear. Even if he wanted to run towards Koneko and get her out of the way, he couldn't. It wasn't just because of Rias' order. It was something else. A malignant presence. Something primal and animalistic. A lust for blood so great it could almost be seen as a red mist stretching its disgusting limbs in the air. It was invading his lungs, creeping into his blood, breaking the shelter of his mind.

Blood and lust for it were all he could taste, all he could think about even though he comprehended the desire was not his.

His fears flickered and vanished. Koneko was alone, standing in the rubble. Koneko was alone in the mist and no one was doing or saying anything to help her. He managed to unlock his jaw and force his vocal chords to shake into forming words.

Soon enough, he knew-

"T-Toujou-san, watch out!"

-That the shadows were not shadows.

Surely enough, a line in the darkness broke apart from the rest.

Almost in slow motion, a gigantic jaw emerged from the places where the light didn't reach. It happened the moment Koneko turned her head the other way and Issei wanted to scream, scream, scream. A sharp sight escaped his chest and nothing else. The sight that presented itself to his once human eyes was too much.

Sharp and pointy fangs, each one seemingly able to skewer any human being with ease, rounded her up from above and beneath. It was like the vivid imagery of some wildlife documental where the hungry animal pounced from its hiding place to chomp down a well-deserved meal.

Issei found his voice back just for it to falter and fail him again. His intentions were clear, but his feet refused to move an inch.

Of course, his instincts told him to save Koneko, as she looked helpless.

He balled his fists.

A giggle escaped someone, distorted to Issei's ears. He blinked and watched as Akeno smiled. His mind caught up and he understood she was the one producing the so bizarre sound he had heard in the terrible situation that unfolded in front of their eyes. He blinked again and yes, there was only tranquility and confidence expressed by his comrades. Nobody moved to save the small girl. No one seemed as preoccupied as he felt. He himself realized how dumb he must have looked a second later.

Issei was so worried thinking about how weak Koneko looked, he completely forgot how strong she actually was. She tore metal doors as if they were made of butter.

With a marked twist of her hips, the young Devil planted her feet on the ground, and faced the enemy directly.

The jaw closed as it tried to engulf her and gulp her down as a light snack.

**BAM!**

Cracks ran through the ground after the impact, breaking the cement and the rubble. A curtain of dust arose from the dirt. Issei almost lost his footing, the vibrations coming from the ground so strong they made his knees weak and his breathing quiver, but his nervousness probably impeded him from flinching, even when facing such violent scene.

The dust settled down.

Koneko's hands held the giant monster in place, grabbing it by its teeth as it tried to swallow her whole. Her feet buried into the ground, destroying the cement and yet still holding their ground nevertheless. They both struggled and neither budged. The small girl pushed back with unrelenting strength, not even a sign of fatigue or effort on her emotionless face. The snake pushed with its humongous body, the rings of its body constricting in its efforts to overthrow the white-haired maiden. Its tail hit the ground violently, forcefully.

"…Disgusting."

The girl kneed the beast in its jaw, closing its mouth forcibly. Then, with her powerful hands, she took ahold of its snout and slammed it against the ground.

She retreated, fists ready for more action.

A distorted grunt was heard. The monster dislodged itself from the ground. Coming into the clear moonlight, one could appreciate its true appearance.

It resembled a gigantic snake of sorts. Its viscous body was covered with black scales and scars, probably from previous fights with greater monsters and devious preys. Its eyes were mismatched, as one eye was a purple-colored slit, common of a reptile, while the other possessed a red-colored pupil.

The most striking feature was a red light shining from a part of its long, long body. Sets of crimson veins shone from the center, exuding dark power that Issei knew about all too well. His heart beat faster in response to the sight, reminding him of what allowed him to breathe and see such fight.

"Pay attention, Ise," ordered Rias with crossed arms. "This is what happens to a Stray when the evil piece is stronger than its holder."

Morbidly enough, he did understand. Devils were susceptible to their emotions. The evil piece made that specific trait stronger. And for someone who was far too gone, far too lost in its desires… such deformity was the result of someone who became a slave to his own wishes.

The serpentine monster slithered away silently, maintaining distance with the group and the little girl whose inconspicuous body held inhuman strength.

"This exquisite smell… It's the scent of unbridled rage. Of furious decay and unparalleled destruction, particularly coupled with a tinge of despair. The scent of that which rots meat and mows down even the strongest spirits, until they're nothing but ash in the air…"

A booming voice escaped from its horrendous mouth, which opened ever so slightly only to produce sounds. It cackled joyfully, and its visage concentrated on Rias and Rias alone. Its fang shined dangerously and the red light that shone through its veins pulsed visibly, thirst and lust becoming one in its deranged mind.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your unexpected visit, Lady Gremory?" Its voice, albeit distorted, had a gentlemanly baritone tone to it. It was a suave voice that couldn't have belonged to anyone older that a middle-aged man. "Surely you didn't come to play a little game of chess with me? If so, I must apologize. The lack of appendages for menial activities is quite a conundrum to deal with, as you can see…"

Rias kept her arms crossed. "No chess, quite sadly. In accordance to the millennia of laws we Devils have operated under, I hereby order you to turn yourself in for betraying the pact of soul and flesh, and for the indiscriminate consumption of human souls."

A resemblance of a wicked smile spread across the monster's features. Its scales moved and its veins twisted to accommodate the bizarre expression on a creature that was not made for smiling.

"Turn myself in? Oh, I'm afraid that can't be done, Lady Gremory. This evil piece of mine is such a binge eater. It always asks for more souls. I cannot even go on a monthly diet without going nearly insane!" said the giant snake as it tilted its head from side to side, moving slowly. "Why have such manners and give me a choice, if I may ask? You surely must know that a Stray doesn't attend to reasons that go against its wishes. Is the Lady feeling merciful tonight?"

The crimson-haired lady smiled, shrugging her shoulders.

"I'm showing my new servant the ropes. He needs to know how to politely ask filthy monsters like you to stop abusing their powers," explained the heiress. "With that said and done, we can proceed with the next phase of the hunt."

The Stray lost its demented smile to show its fangs, dripping with poison and folly. A low giggle escaped from its throat.

"Ahhh, always the well-mannered princess, aren't you Lady Gremory? It doesn't suit you at all. You should command and destroy, not ask nicely and hold back." The Stray proceeded to lower its ugly head, as if ready to jump again. "I think we have done enough talking. I'll thoroughly enjoy devouring the princess' soul. So, what was the next part of this 'hunt'…?"

Rias' smile disappeared upon hearing the question.

"Your execution," she emotionlessly stated. "Koneko."

"Understood."

The white-haired girl answered the command and jumped from her spot, breaking the ground from the force of her impulse. The Stray cackled and roared, reason and control completely gone. Both Devils lunged at each other with the intention of killing the enemy.

"Ise." The boy acknowledged Rias' calling but his eyes were still on the fight in front of him. "Some time ago, I said that each evil piece held a special trait, which manifested in the strengths and weaknesses of my servants."

Koneko stomped on the ground, and after pulling with her hands, she removed a chunk of stone many dimensions greater than her body above her head. She quickly intercepted another powerful bite from the Stray, using the piece of earth as shield.

"Koneko Toujou is my [Rook]. Although she's short, has a limited reach, and is of average speed on her feet…"

The girl let go of the chunk of stone and stepped back. The Stray bit down and destroyed the makeshift shield, directing its hungry gaze on the moving prey that so desired to escape its hunger. Said prey ran back towards one of the pillars, ran vertically on its legnth, and then jumped above the monster.

She rolled in the air one time, and extended one leg out.

The snake made a sound of realization, and quickly tried to dodge.

"…She makes up for it with great resistance, and overwhelming brute strength."

Koneko delivered a powerful axe kick down. The Stray barely managed to move its head, but the girl caught a part of its body. It was a strike powerful enough to bury the serpent into the ground and break its scales.

The factory rumbled. The walls cracked. The ceiling shook dangerously. Issei shivered. He couldn't blink anymore, so enraptured he was by what was playing in front of his eyes.

Koneko moved away. The snake, seemingly forgetting about its new injury, slithered after her. One, two, three powerful punches of her little arms to the maw stopped the beast in its tracks. Each blow was like a bullet from a high-caliber gun. Each blow shook its head wildly, and if Issei hadn't been so mesmerized with the fight, he would have noticed the blood falling from its mouth, dripping from its poisonous fangs.

However, she failed to connect her fourth punch. The Stray got under her guard and managed to get Koneko in its mouth. It tried to bite and munch her body into a bloody paste. The girl pushed with her arms and legs, keeping its mouth open. However, she couldn't get away easily.

Rias snapped her fingers.

"Kiba."

"On the way!"

Blondie responded with vigor, instantly jumping into the scene. The brunet watched him run, and in one of his hands was… a broadsword?

Issei could have sworn the blond wasn't armed on their way here. Where and when did he get a weapon? And it wasn't even a Japanese katana, but a genuine sword that might as well come from medieval times in Europe. Something like that couldn't simply remain hidden from view.

Clean steel glinted upon meeting the moonlight. The snake visibly shifted as it watched the teenager run towards it, but Koneko was still struggling inside its mouth. She wouldn't let go. The Stray couldn't attack or defend, still intent on munching on the annoying little girl who bested its strength.

"Kiba Yuuto is my [Knight]. His resistance is not as remarkable as Koneko's, and his attacks aren't as destructive either, but…"

The Stray's used its tail as a gigantic whip, breaking down one of the pillars and barring the entire ground with it. It towered in front of Kiba, ready to strike him down.

**SCHUNK!**

And just like a mirage, Kiba disappeared from that spot in a blink of an eye. Issei blinked again. He completely lost sight of the blond who was just running a moment ago. His gaze wildly scanned the dark interior, searching for the blond and feeling oddly afraid for the thin, snarky being he normally hated.

Then, carnage manifested.

Blood rained down from the snake's body as it trashed around, dozens of cuts appearing at a rapid pace upon its flesh as its scales broke down, showing dark meat and crimson veins that turned black upon meeting the air. X patterns were carved into its darkened skin, a silver flash cutting them at a rapid pace. Had it cut a little bit deeper, the Stray would have been slashed into ribbons.

Koneko took this opportunity to kick a fang out of her way, trashing it so hard it popped out of the jaw of the monster. She thus freed herself and landed safely out of the snake's way.

Kiba appeared once again in front of the Stray, acquiring a combat stance, and pointed the end of his blade at the serpentine terror. His sword was covered in blood.

"…He makes up for it with blinding speed and well-aimed attacks. On top of that, he possesses a Sacred Gear which allows him to fabricate swords from thin air. He's everything you would expect from a great Knight."

The Stray jumped at Kiba. The later dodged. The teenager disappeared again, and the only way to barely track him down was the light reflected on his sword. One could think he was teleporting, but no. He was just that fast. The snake was incredibly big, so its movements were sloppy. Kiba was able to cut down many parts of its body without great effort, taking a break from time to time to observe the masterpiece of blood and gore he was creating.

The blond was shaken off from the snake's proximity when the snake's tail finally found his moving pattern. The Knight skidded across the ground, and in front of him, the enemy approaching at great speeds in hopes of eating him.

He took another stance, and waited.

The snake opened its gargantuan mouth.

And just like it happened many times before, Kiba disappeared again…

**CRACK!**

…Breaking apart one of the Stray's fangs with his sword in the process. The boney structure went flying and embedded itself into the ground. The monster howled in pain and trashed around, hitting another pillar and splitting it in half. The entire factory was breaking apart.

Pieces of ruble fell from above. Issei put his arms above his head to prevent any injuries. He needed his brain, whatever his brother said on the matter.

"Kiba, retreat." The blond immediately followed the order and fell back, sword still in hand, ready to be the knight in shining armor and save the damsel in distress. In this situation, Issei felt he was the damsel and that was an uncomfortable realization to say the least.

The Stray hissed, focusing its sights on Rias.

Rias met the monster's demented gaze with her own, and spoke once again.

"Akeno."

Said girl looked from a side and then to another, as if making sure she was the person Rias referred to. Then, she placed a hand on her cheek and laughed.

"Finally, it is my turn to shine~"

She walked forwards lightheartedly, putting herself between Rias and the Stray. The monster sneered furiously at her, while she simply opted to smile mockingly at it.

"Himejima Akeno is my [Queen]. She's the strongest member of my peerage, and as her category implies, she possesses the strengths of a [Rook], [Knight], [Bishop] and [Pawn] altogether."

With another roar, and ignoring the many, many injuries permeating its body, the Stray lunged one more time towards them, forgetting pain. Its perverted mind could barely bear its own bloodlust. He needed souls. He needed souls. He needed souls.

Issei could feel it. The hunger. The despair. The sheer need for more, more, more.

Akeno looked defenseless in comparison to the giant, starving monster in front of her, yet she didn't show any hint of nervousness or worry.

Of course, Issei had no need to worry either. And that was because Akeno herself was a bigger threat than the snake.

She simply raised one hand, and pushed her index finger against her thumb.

"Naturally, Akeno has no weaknesses."

The raven-haired woman snapped her fingers. An intense light was produced.

The sound came seconds after.

**BOOOOM!**

Arcs of yellow lightning shot out from the small space between her two fingers. The explosive thunder that followed felt like an earthquake and made Issei lose his balance. All of the remaining windows broke down into pieces, falling into a cascade of light and shards.

The lightning exploded against the snake's body and electrified it, devouring it and raving through its body. Its flesh melted down rather quickly, and the injury was cauterized. However, the sheer temperature of it was enough to set the Stray on fire. The monster was thrown back a little and wheezed in pain, coughing up great amounts of blood.

Akeno's smile faltered.

"Oh, wasn't that enough? Gosh, I'm really a softie these days." She put a hand over her cheek and sighed dejectedly. "Silly me. It seems I have to seriously up my game now."

Akeno rolled her shoulders a little, and proceeded to take a crouching position with her hands flat on the ground. It was a stance athletes took before going into a long sprint.

"Here I go~"

And just as naturally as she said, she closed the distances between the serpent and herself in the span of a second.

She barely made a sound. There was a cold breeze that was left as the result of her jump. There high in the air was a smiling Akeno with one hand clenched into a fist. Her enemy couldn't even register her movement, or the fact that she was there, above, ready to strike it down.

She swung a punch towards the Stray's head.

**BAM!**

A simple strike from her slender arm sent the already injured monster down to the ground again. The impact was even stronger than what Koneko did with her axe kick. The crater was even greater now, and from the repeated blows, it was turning into a hole of sorts.

"Now, for the finishing touch…"

Akeno suspended herself for a moment, an uncharacteristic concentration pouring from her still body. She stuck out her index finger, and moved it in a circular position. Soon enough, a luminous blue circle with strange symbols appeared.

She touched the center of the circle with a tap of her index.

"_Skewer_, _white petals_."

From that tiny circle, several transparent pillars shot out with overwhelming strength. Numerous ice spears were formed and were fired, seeking the snake's flesh with all their might. Several of them pierced the Stray, and pools of acidic blood erupted the wounds it bore, turning the scene into a shower of crimson ooze. The destruction of the factory reached its final peak as the Stray Devil was turned into a porcupine

The delicate looking huntress landed on the ground. After slapping the dust away from her skirt, she looked at the monster curiously.

"Hello, little Stray? Are you still alive?" she asked with curiosity, before flashing her trademark smile. It was terrifying in the dim moonlight as she rejoiced at the gory scene she produced. "If you are, please say so. I will make sure to sssskiiin you until you learn to stay dead~"

Everyone relaxed, though Issei couldn't help but to gulp at Akeno's threat. With the danger of the Stray taken care of, everyone began to approach the epicenter of the battle. The monster that not so long ago slithered with animalistic grace and savage precision now laid moribund in a pool of its own blood. Shallow, serpentine breaths were heard from its slightly open mouth. Darkness resided in its maw, reigning feebly over the last heartbeats of the monster.

Rias nodded to herself, and smiled.

"Good job, everyone. This was a splendid performance. I'm very proud of you all," she congratulated the servants. Kiba and Akeno smiled while Koneko nodded in acknowledgment.

Issei felt a pat on his shoulder. He looked to the owner of the hand, and saw Rias beaming at him.

"I'm proud of you too, Ise. Thanks to you being close to me, everyone else was able to focus on the battle. I'm sure you learnt a lot today, right?"

The brunet remained silent for a little. Before she could ask if there was something wrong, Rias found both of her shoulders grabbed my Issei's hands.

She looked at his face, and he was beaming like a child who found a mountain of gifts with his name etched on them under his bed.

"Buchou… that was ultra super awesome!" yelled the boy excitedly. "I mean, it was also scary as hell, but damn! Toujou-san's badass strength, Kiba's speed and sword, and Akeno-senpai's… eh…"

Issei looked at Akeno. She waved at him, giggling behind her hand.

"…A-Akeno-senpai's… power!" he finished nervously as he laughed uncontrollably again. "It was all so cool! I know you said I had to be careful and stuff, but… oof, I'm really excited now!"

Rias was shaken back and forth in a silly manner. At some point she put her hands on Issei's shoulder, like a mother calming her hyperactive kid.

"O-Okay, okay, Ise. No need to be so happy, hahahaha."

"No need? Nonsense!" he instantly rebutted. Rias deadpanned and perhaps she rolled her eyes jokingly at him for a second, but it was probably a figment of his imagination acting out again. "And if you're the King, then that means you're even cooler, right? You must be. You're Buchou after all!"

Rias stammered for a moment and then laughed sheepishly.

"I-Ise, you haven't even seen what I can do. You shouldn't praise me like that…"

Much to the group's fortune, Issei calmed down shortly after praising everyone. They all rounded up the almost dead form of the Stray Devil, and analyzed it. This beast that had killed so many humans before now laid broken and on the verge of death, weakling twitching its humongous tail.

The redhead twirled one hand towards the body.

"This is the last thing you need to know about Strays. Whenever you defeat one, you always have to make sure to finish them off completely."

And just like that, Issei's lingering excitement vanished. He looked at the woman, something dark and gnarling pouring on his jolly mood. He knew what was coming, it was what had been done to himself once in the name of security.

"I-Is it really necessary? I mean, this Stray has killed people and stuff… but it can't even move right now."

"Yes, for now. But if we leave it alone, the evil piece will give the Stray enough energy to heal its injuries and hunt anew. You always have to deal the finishing blow. You don't give them the chance to strike you from behind. You destroy them, without hesitation."

Issei gulped, but he understood what she meant. It would be stupid to ask again.

The supernatural world wasn't merciful. People weren't nice. If you showed weakness, they would kill you. If you groveled at their feet, they would govern you. If you underestimated them, they would stab you from behind.

Red and black lights gathered on Rias' palm, until a sphere of energy swirled into existence. The King didn't wait a single second and shot it out. Like a miasma of death, it spread all over the Stray Devil and disintegrated it bit by bit. Once it was finished, the giant serpent was reduced to nothing more than a cloud of black ash.

"It isn't pretty, I know. But this is how things are in the real world." Rias' appreciation was accompanied with something akin to dismay. She turned around to face Issei. "But that's why we can't sleep in our laurels. I know all of you will make me even prouder, and become stronger."

There was an air of agreement between the members of the group. Once they made sure their enemy was no more with a quick round of investigations around the building and a perfunctory glance at the settling black dust, they moved out of the factory. They all moved out with a bounce to their step, ready to head to far more pleasant places.

Issei mulled over a strange question he didn't know how to formulate.

"Eh, Buchou… if it's fine asking, what piece did you use with me?"

Rias made a sound of realization. "Wait... did you forget Ise? You saw your evil piece this morning."

She rested her emerald eyes on his form, and responded with a twinkle lighting her eyes into incandescent stones.

"You're my [Pawn], Ise."

"Ah... yeah, now I remember. Ugh… I figured, but I didn't want to assume. I'm really the weakest." Issei's sigh of exasperation was met with Rias' chuckle. He blushed and blurted out his next line. "W-What? It's true that I'm the weakest."

She nodded. The teenagers stepped out of the property they had trespassed in and onto the pavement of the empty streets once again. The redhead looked at the incomplete moon still hovering in the sky beautifully.

"Ise, didn't you know?"

She fixed her crimson hair with a dignified gesture. Her red mane cascaded over her hand, sprawling across her shoulders.

"If Pawns were as useless as you think they are, they wouldn't exist in chess. And the truth is…"

A red light flickered across her eyes as she dedicated him one of her usual gentle smiles, the ones he could describe as full of confidence. In that instant, she was royalty and he was her humble servant, satisfied to be hers.

"…Even a Pawn can defeat the King."

* * *

**Done for today.**

**This chapter took me longer than usual, but in turn, I also made it longer too. I hope it was to your liking!**

**Now, I know some of you may be disappointed (or happy) with the lack of Ayame. The reason for this is that this story is about Ayame and the people surrounding him, how he affects them and how they affect him, not to mention how they lead their lives on their own too. Besides, I wanted to take a break from emo boy and show a little more of Issei and his struggles as a Devil, because we all know being a creature of darkness it isn't just about cool powers and bat wings. **

**The other reason for this chapter was that I wanted to deepen the reader's understanding of Devils, how magic works, and to introduce the members of the Occult Research Club appropiately. They're all characters who will be explored later, but I didn't want to leave them aside. All of them are important in some way or another, and I want to give them the respect they deserve.**

**Now, I wanted to adress some specific questions.**

**-Will Ayame actually learn magic?**

**Yes, but very _slowly_. Ayame learns through action, not practice. He will get the basics down, and he will do some fancy stuff, but until he unlocks his Sacred Gear, he can only punch things to death. He ain't gonna fire lasers from his fingers or something. Not yet, at least.**

**-Will Ayame and Issei part ways at some point?**

**Yes. Ayame has his own life. Issei has his own life. They need to do things very differently, and those things don't include the other. Issei is a Devil and he has to follow Rias' orders. Ayame is a weirdo and he wants to risk his life. Unless the situation demands it, they're not gonna see each other.**

**The only reason they're together a lot is because of the context. Remember they were both killed by the same girl, and they are both haunted by the same girl to this day. This first arc follows closely the situation with the Fallen Angels and Raynare's group. Issei will be forced to deal with her at some point. Ayame wants to kill her, too. That's where their paths cross once again and the story unfolds.**

**I promise, in the second arc, Issei and Ayame will have their own side stories, almost totally unrelated one with another. That's where my story really starts to divert from canon and I put more of my own ideas in it.**

**Don't worry guys. I have this story planned right to the very end, but it will be a loooong journey. I only ask for you to sit back and relax as I get these chapters out. I hope you all have fun with this!**

**Now, as always, tell me your thoughts. Do you like how Issei is turning out? How did you find the Occult Research Club? Was Rias interesting? Was Akeno funky as always? Did you enjoy the Stray's hunt? Tell me all you have in mind! It really helps.**

**Now, I take my leave. Stay at home, and stay healthy!**

**(16/5/2020)**


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